When Past and Present Collide
by gluegirl56
Summary: Captain Gerry O'Neill gets seriously injured during a routine clinic. When Tom calls upon his little sister Gina, as his next of kin, the past and present collide. What do the people of Coopers Crossing really know about their pilot?
1. Chapter 1

**The Flying Doctors – When Past and Present Collide**

' _There comes a day when you reach a crossing and you must choose which way to go.'_

OOOOOO

 **Chapter One – Routine**

Gerry broke into a grin as he brought the aircraft in for landing at Cooper's Crossing Airfield. "Well, it looks like we have a welcoming committee. Someone is popular," he said cheerfully and glanced at the half-sleeping doctor next to him.

Geoffrey Standish tiredly blinked heavy eyelids open. He'd been away overnight together with Annie to deliver a baby. The birth had taken it's time and turned complicated but in the end it went well and the mother and child didn't need to be taken back to the hospital. The oldest daughter in the house was home from practicing at the nursing school in Broken Hill and had promised to keep an eye on her mother and her little sister.

Geoff yawned and stretched in the chair.

"You are strapped in aren't you?" the pilot asked cautiously.

The doctor quickly checked the seatbelt and clicked it into place. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"You know, your patient is the new talk of the town," Gerry informed him as he firmly put down the aircraft and let it roll down the strip.

Geoff made a face. "I'm not surprised," he drawled tiredly as the aircraft came to a stop at the hangar. "Considering she's forty five years old and her oldest daughter is twenty."

Kate winked at them from where she stood next to Mobile Two while Tom opened the trunk to retrieve some gear for the upcoming clinic.

Annie swiftly jumped out of the plane and turned around just in time to catch the car keys that Tom threw at her. "Thanks," she said and greeted Kate with a nod as the older nurse got into the aircraft.

"Well, hello handsome," Kate teased as Geoff came her way from the cockpit.

The doctor and nurse joined in a warm embrace before finishing up with a kiss.

"I missed you tonight," she whispered seductively.

He eyed her slyly. "We'll make it up tonight," he answered enigmatically.

Tom got into the plane carrying his medical bag and a supply bag. "Are you two lovebirds finished?" he teased.

"He was just leaving," Kate said dismissively yet with a playful undertone.

"I was just leaving," the clinical department head echoed. "See you tonight."

Tom chuckled and moved up front to sit next to the pilot. "Ready for another round, Gerry?" he asked.

The pilot made a note in a log and nodded absentmindedly. "I have to refuel first," he said.

Tom groaned and let his head come to rest on the seat.

"Don't be like that," Gerry whined. "At least you had breakfast this morning. That's more than I can say for some."

"Gerry!" Kate hollered from behind as she moved up to them with a sandwich.

The pilot lit up in a bright grin. "You're a lifesaver, Kate," he said jovially.

"Thank Nancy when we come back," the nurse replied with a grin. "The way she talks it sounds like she's adopted you."

Tom snorted.

OOOOOO

Clare glanced over her shoulder from the radio room as the door opened to reveal Annie and Geoff. "There you are," she said cheerfully. "How did it go with the baby?"

"Splendid," Annie assured her smugly and nodded at the doctor who was on his way toward the office. "Geoff was a natural. He'll be a great dad!" she hollered amusedly at him.

Geoff halted in mid-step to frown and give her an indignant glare before disappearing into the office.

Clare made a face and then chuckled, Annie wasn't late to join in.

"By the way, before I forget. Nick was here earlier, looking for you," the old radio operator informed slyly.

Annie slapped Clare playfully on the shoulder and snorted amusedly. "Cut it out. It's nothing like that," she assured her.

"Why not?" Clare asked innocently as she turned her full focus on the young nurse. "He's not a bad catch is he?"

Annie frowned in disbelief. "No, I guess not but-" she trailed off and sighed. "He's only interested in machinery and small gadgets. He's a great friend and all but as a partner-"

"It doesn't click, does it?" Clare asked in understanding.

"No, not really," Annie said truthfully.

Clare shrugged. "Well, he wanted to see you regardless," she offered.

"Thanks, I'll swing by the garage later and have a word with him," she said with a bright smile and began to walk towards the door that led to the hospital.

OOOOOO

The Nomad came to a stop at the end of the short and sandy runway at the Maple Hodges Station.

"So," Gerry said as he kept the engines running. "What time would you like to be picked up?"

Tom glanced at him in amusement. "There's been a change of plan, flyboy," he said. "We don't estimate the clinic to take more than four or five hours, there is no use for you to fly back and forth."

Gerry sighed and leaned backwards in his seat.

"So you can power down the engines and help us with the gear and set up the clinic," Tom said with a smirk and patted the pilot on the shoulder as he moved back in the plane.

OOOOOO

Geoff yawned and sighed as he turned around in his office chair to stare out the window. His eyes finally settling on a few strolling patients at backyard of the hospital building.

"Admiring the view?" David asked suddenly and amusedly watched his colleague jump at the sound of his voice. "I did knock but-"

Geoff waved lazily at him to enter. "That baby took its toll on me," he said sheepishly. "I have tons of paperwork but I can't seem to concentrate at the moment."

David chuckled and turned to see Clare walk in to the room with a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

"There," she said kindly as she placed it in front of Geoff. "Extra strong," she added and turned to leave.

"She's spoiling me," he mumbled thankfully and nodded at David. "What's on your mind?"

"Not much really," he admitted as he stuck his hands in his pockets and began to rock on his heels. "You know, your newly delivered baby it the talk of the town."

Geoff frowned in mock surprise. "Really?" he quipped.

"Yeah," David let on cheerfully and then turned serious. "Actually I came to ask you of a few days off."

"Well-"

"I know we have a pretty busy schedule at the moment and that perhaps it's not the best of times," he added hastily at his colleague's hesitation. "I overheard about a rock climbing event not far from here and I figured I could use it to clear my mind."

Geoff shrugged. "I don't see why not. I think Tom and I can handle it for a few days."

His younger colleague broke into a grin.

"But," Geoff said solemnly as he stabbed a finger at him. "On one condition."

"Just name it," David returned confidently.

"You don't go falling down and break any bones," Geoff said sternly.

"Believe me I have no intention of doing that," he let on earnestly. "It starts at the weekend and its Monday today, I'll need two days of travelling time which means I'll leave on Wednesday unless there's a catastrophe coming our way."

"You're not hiring an aircraft?" Geoff enquired curiously.

David shook his head. "It's easier to borrow one of the base's utility vehicles."

"I see," Geoff mused as he narrowed his eyes at him. "You're not just asking for leave you're borrowing equipment from the service," he deduced cunningly.

"Would you mind?" David asked innocently.

Geoff chuckled. "Go and climb your rock, David," he said.

OOOOOO

Kate smiled as she walked up to Gerry who was sitting in a chair on the porch waving lazily with a paper before his face.

"You have admirers," she whispered teasingly as she sat down next to him.

He chuckled sarcastically as he followed her gaze to a few teenage girls. "Yes, they wanted to take a swim in the creek," he let on.

"Why not?" Kate suggested wryly with a half grin and then innocently added. "It's a good day for it. It hasn't been this hot for weeks."

"Get out of here," he whined miserably.

The nurse laughed and was about to reply as the old station hand walked up to them.

"Is he giving you trouble, Katie," Jeremy Rodgers asked amusedly. "Those flyboys are not firmly grounded you know."

Gerry shook his head.

Kate chuckled. "Right now he's firmly planted in the chair," she offered lightly and then turned to her colleague. "Gerry O'Neill this old chap is Jeremy Rodgers he's been here for as long as I can remember."

Rodgers nodded in delight. "I've been a station hand at this place before you was born Katie," he said with twinkle in his eyes and shook hands with the pilot.

"Have you come to see the doctor?" Kate asked kindly.

"No, no," he assured her with a lazy wave. "There is nothing wrong with me. I came to talk with this young fellow."

Kate shook her head at the stubborn old man. "Well, I'll leave you to it then," she said and nodded at Gerry.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two – Shattered Emotions**

"Nick!" Annie hollered out.

The young nurse frowned as there was no reply. She glanced around the office and storage compartment, both where empty. With a sigh she walked around the car on the lift and bent down to see if he was beneath but had no luck in finding him. Annie bit her lower lips in frustration, silently wondering where he'd got to. She walked out the back and hollered again. "Nick!"

"Looking for me?" he asked softly and amusedly watched her jerk around at the sound of his voice.

"Don't scare me like that," she admonished with a tight smile.

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "I was looking for you earlier."

"That's why I'm here, silly. Clare told me," Annie explained. "What have you got? A carburetor that needs to be fixed?"

He snorted. "You make it sound like it's the most boring thing in the world," he said.

"Isn't it?" she teased him lightly as she crinkled her nose.

"Actually, I was thinking perhaps you'd like to take a ride with me later on?" he said hopefully. "Sam and Emma promised I could take a ride anytime since I take care of the garage for them."

Annie frowned in confusion. "Did they leave everything behind when they left?" she asked curiously.

"It's a little complicated to take two outback horses to Sydney don't you think?" he offered. "They're back at the old place with Wallie and Alice who bought the place. They're an old and nice couple. You'd like them."

"Okay, you've talked me into it," she said lightly.

"Good. We'll have to leave soon because it's a two hour drive there," he replied casually.

"Nick!" Annie protested. "I'm on duty for another two hours."

OOOOOO

"And I think it's outrageous," an older woman said dryly. "I mean a woman in her age should now better."

Vic sighed as he moved over to where his wife stood behind the counter and listened to a few old ladies gossiping. "Excuse me," he said politely as he moved over to tap a beer.

"That poor baby," another one of the women said.

Vic leaned in to whisper in Nancy's ear. "Don't they have anything better to do?" he muttered.

She plastered smile on her face as the women turned toward her. "They're paying customers Vic," she replied in a subdued voice. "Let them ventilate their opinions for a while."

Vic huffed. "Why don't you tell them to shut up and drink what's in their glasses instead and then do something useful with their lives," he drawled.

"Pardon me?" one of them women asked in offence.

"He was just talking about the weather, dear," Nancy assured her sweetly. "You've barely touched your drinks, didn't you like them?"

OOOOOO

Jeremy Rodgers stretched lazily in the chair next to the RFDS pilot and glanced at the clear blue sky. "You know, when I was young," he began and then snorted amusedly. "You can't picture me ever being young, can you?"

Gerry shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. The old man was growing on him. "Could it have been during the war?" he guessed.

Jeremy harrumphed. "Nah, sunny. It goes even further back," he admitted with a toothy grin. "I haven't been telling a lot of people this but I flew bombers."

Gerry instantly turned serious at the dark edge to the old man's voice.

Jeremy got something hard and cold in his eyes as he went on. "It was a horrible job, killing innocent civilians, but of course the military called it a necessary sacrifice, casualties of war, collateral damage, you name it," he explained wearily.

Gerry followed his gaze toward the horizon.

"When it was over I didn't know what to do with myself. I was a lost soul back then. I didn't own much so I took my bag and went out to hitch hike across the country in order to try and gain perspective on life. Then John Hodges father, Ben, took me under his wings and offered me a job as a ranch hand and station manager. I've been here since then," he explained sadly. "I've come to terms with the blood on my hands."

"Have you never regretted laying off flying?" Gerry asked carefully.

"Of course I have, son. I've packed my bag occasionally but every time I was about to leave this tranquil place my gut failed me. I've been treated well here and had anything I've ever wanted. Except for the freedom of flying," Jeremy answered as he turned to fix the pilot with his deep brown eyes.

Gerry made a face and glanced around the immediate surroundings. It was a nice farm, kids where running around playing before them while ranch hands worked cattle at a small distance. It seemed to be an idyllic place to be yet dull at the same time.

"Pardon me for saying so, son. But you don't look like someone that's received the certificate through the military," he stated curiously.

Gerry sighed. "No, I am afraid the requirements for being able to fly the doctors and their patients are a bit different from the single or dual engine fighter jets," he explained curtly.

Jeremy nodded sheepishly. "Of course, my mistake," he said apologetically. "You have one of those-" he trailed off, looking thoughtful for a moment as if searching his memory. "Commercial Pilot's License."

The RFDS pilot nodded and smirked. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to take on passengers. And what good would it do just to fly the doc's around without being able to pick up the poor patients."

Jeremy suddenly laughed. "People call you a glorified bus driver at times don't they?" he asked amusedly. "I know for a fact that it takes a lot more to get certified for flying than for bus driving."

Gerry shook his head. "I use to think they are jealous," he let on. "Simply put, to obtain a CPL you must have at least 250 flying hours under your belt in total. 100 hours must be as a pilot in command. In addition you must hold an instrument rating to be able to fly in bad weather without visual sighting. Then, out here, you'll need bush strip education and emergency maneuver training."

Jeremy gave a low whistle. "How old are you, son?" he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "By the sound of that you must be at least thirty."

"Add another year or so," the pilot suggested.

"It would be nice to see the sky up close one more time before turning six feet under," the old man pondered somberly.

Gerry shrugged. "I think that can be arranged. Why don't you head back to Cooper's Crossing with us, for a medical checkup or something? You can sit up front with me," he suggested cunningly.

Jeremy grinned. "You're a clever man," he said approvingly as he got out of the chair and motioned for the pilot to follow him. "Come on, there is something you should see."

OOOOOO

Walking across the main street on her way to the hospital Annie briefly wondered whom she could trade her next shift with so that she could go out to the Patterson Property with Nick. It wasn't as easy as Nick thought to swap places. First of all, Annie was employed by the RFDS and therefore a flying nurse. There was a lot of scheduled clinics and educational tours planned for the next few days. Trips that the nursing staff at the hospital didn't participate in. Luckily she had no commitments outside the hospital the next day so she might be able to solve the problem anyway but that meant she had to be back at least till noon in order to prepare for the flight the day after tomorrow. Smiling brightly she entered the hospital building and set course for the nurse's station.

"You look awfully cheerful," David said as he glanced up from a file he'd been studying.

"Been planning a little trip," she let on enigmatically.

"You too?" he asked.

"Sorry?" she asked in confusion.

"I'm going away to climb a mountain this weekend," he explained.

Annie shuddered. "Sounds like a suicidal trip," she replied.

He chuckled. "Where is your sense of adventure?" he asked.

"Must have lost it somewhere?" she returned cheekily.

"By the way, shouldn't you be preparing for radio school?" he wondered aloud.

"What?" she asked and then groaned as realization hit her. "No, don't tell me that was tomorrow morning?"

David nodded amusedly. "Would that spoil you plans?"

"Something like that," she muttered.

OOOOOO

Gerry let his eyes wander over the old and dilapidated barn and hesitated at the doorstep. "Look, Jeremy. Are you sure this is such a good idea?" he asked cautiously. "This place looks like it's coming apart anytime."

The station hand snorted. "Nonsense, I keep my tools here. It's my own sanctuary, my workshop. It's all right as long as you don't go upstairs," he said confidently. "That old floor structure is made up of rotten logs."

The pilot hesitated and made a face as he followed the old man through the door.

Jeremy proudly walked up to a workbench and picked up a small model of a homemade aircraft, crafted in steel.

Gerry nodded in appreciation. "Not bad," he mused as he took it in his hand.

"Not bad?" the station hand echoed as he cocked an eyebrow. "It's brilliant."

"Have you ever considered selling it?" the pilot enquired curiously.

He chuckled ironically. "In the beginning, but when I asked John about it he asked who in their right mind would buy this piece of junk."

Gerry frowned and gently put it down on the bench, his eyes trailing the room. "What is all this stuff?" he asked.

"Some of them are my own inventions," Jeremy let on with a grin and walked over to what looked like a large spiky wheel. "This is an old cultivator that I've made some modifications too. Works wonders in the garden."

The pilot chuckled at old man's enthusiasm.

Then suddenly several children rushed in to play hide and seek. They shouted and laughed at each other as they ran around the station hand and the pilot.

"Hey!" Jeremy shouted sternly. "I've told you, you're not allowed to be here."

"Get lost grandpa," one of the older boys replied cheekily as they ran the old stair and up to the hayloft.

Jeremy shook his head in exasperation. "Kids nowadays, nothing but small monsters," he mumbled.

Gerry bit his lower lip to keep from laughing out loud.

The old man angrily began to walk toward the stair. "Get down from there you lot!"

"Why don't you come and make us!" A child's voice taunted him from above.

"I'll take care of it," the oldest son of the Maple Hodges said with certainty as he appeared in the doorway and rushed up the stairs.

Gerry glanced upwards forebodingly as he heard a crackle. He yanked the old man by the elbow. "Come on, we better get out of here before it's-" The pilot never had time to finish the sentence as the floor above them gave away.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – Death's Door**

Tom Callaghan sighed and rubbed his tired eyes as he got out of the small room he was occupying at the farmhouse. He stifled a yawn and blinked at the bright sun as he got out on the porch.

Kate Standish gave him a dazzling smile and shook her head slightly. "You looked bushed doctor," she teased.

Tom smirked at her as he made his way over to where she was standing, next to the canteen. "Serving coffee, sister?" he asked smugly.

She laughed and made a face at him as she reached over to get him a fresh cup. "How's it coming?" she asked.

He frowned and nodded toward the gathering on the lawn before them. "I didn't know there'd be such a rush. Geoff and I estimated roughly fifty patients when we planned for the clinic a week ago, not a hundred and ten," he mused.

"It's tough to be popular, Tom," Kate said amusedly.

"We won't make it in one day. We'll have to reschedule," he replied as he took a sip of the coffee handed to him.

"I don't know about that, Tom. I think we can persuade Jennie and John to accommodate us for the night and Gerry might pick up some groceries on the way home today and fly them here in the morning."

Tom chuckled and shook his head. "He's going to be happy when you tell him that plus the fact that he hadn't had to stay the whole day today since we're not flying back tonight."

Kate turned to him and placed her hands on her hips. "Now wait a minute, you sound like it's already been arranged," she protested.

He spared her an innocent glance. "Didn't you just offer to do that?" he asked.

"Is he giving you trouble?" Jennie Maple Hodges asked amusedly as she walked over to them.

"No more than usual," the nurse let on mischievously. "Listen Jennie with all the-" she was rudely interrupted by a grinding sound coming from the old barn across the yard.

"It's collapsing!" An old farmer shouted coming from around the corner.

John Hodges quickly excused himself from the gathering and ran towards the building. Several ranch hands made to follow him.

Kate and Tom shared a worried look before they too headed off after John Hodges.

OOOOOO

"Geoff?" Annie asked innocently as she walked through the door to the base. She spotted him inside the office and walked in. "Geoff?"

"How many days do you want?" he asked wearily.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"You wanted to ask me if I could grant you leave did you not?" he asked carefully.

Annie chuckled. "No, and you can stop looking like the end of the world is approaching," she said lightly. "I was just going to ask if it would be all right for me to do the radio school education tomorrow morning from the Patterson property."

He threw out his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not even going to ask why," he mused.

"Please," Annie asked softly.

"Okay, why not. Just clear everything with Clare first," he said.

"Thanks' Geoff. You're the clinic master of the year," she said happily.

"Is there a prize for that?" he asked innocently as she turned to leave. "Maybe a trip to Hawaii?"

OOOOOO

Kate felt the hairs at the back of her neck rise as she saw the destruction before her. An eerie silence had settled over the small crowd that had formed just outside the door to Jeremy's workshop.

"Can anyone hear me?" John Hodges shouted in despair as he stepped into the building.

The sun filtered through the wooden walls but the visibility was almost down to zero as dust swirled up from the floor. Hodges glanced up and saw the roof, a large section of the second floor had been eradicated.

Tom and Kate went in with flashlights, covering their noses to avoid breathing in the dust.

"Hello?" The doctor hollered out.

"Over here!" one of the younger ranch hands shouted as he'd found a child in the debris.

Tom quickly made his way over the uneven floor and knelt beside the kid. He did a quick visual check up and took his pulse then nodded at the man who'd found him. "I don't think anything is broken. Let's take him outside but be gentle," he cautioned.

The child moaned as he was scooped up and carried away.

"Here's another one!" Another voice shouted across the room.

Tom got up and went over to find another child, this one a little older. His arm had been twisted in an odd angle and judging by the pure agony displayed on his face the child was in severe pain. He cried out as Tom gently prodded it and caused doctor to purse his lips into a thin line of displeasure.

The doctor turned to localize the nurse and found her bent over a teen. "Kate," he hollered worriedly. "Could you try and find Gerry? We need to fly them out of here as soon as possible."

Kate nodded at her colleague and then gave the teen before her an assuring and comfortable smile. "You'll be all right, don't you worry," she said kindly.

"He was here," the teen said cryptically as the nurse got up from her crouched position next to him.

She turned to him in confusion, not sure she understood what he'd meant.

"Your pilot," he moaned dejectedly.

Kate suddenly felt her mouth go dry and hastily glanced around the semi-dark barn as Tom made his way over to her.

"My goodness!" Hodges exclaimed as he spotted his old ranch hand buried beneath the rubble. He frenetically started to shift the debris and hollered for another young bloke to come and help him.

"Easy," Tom cautioned as he made his way over. His mood darkened instantly as he laid eyes on the man's gut. The doctor noticed three thin steel bars poking out of it and could only assume that the hayfork had killed him instantly.

"Jeremy!" John shouted. "Hold on, we'll get you out in no time."

Tom gently placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. "John," he began seriously. "John, listen to me, he's dead."

"No," he whispered unwilling to take in the information he was given. "No, he can't be."

The young man who'd come to aid the farmer grimaced and turned his head away as he felt sick. "What is that?" he said in disgust. "A hayfork?"

A faint rustle beneath the ruble behind Kate suddenly caught her attention. She quickly turned around and almost choked on her breath as she caught sight of their missing team member. "Gerry!" she shouted.

Tom whirled around toward the door expecting the pilot to walk through but as he didn't see him he turned to Kate in confusion.

"Tom!" Kate urged with a glance over her shoulder.

The doctor rushed over the uneven ground and knelt beside her only to find a crack in the floor beneath them. There, deeper down, lay a very familiar man dressed in a pilot's uniform.

"Gerry!" Tom tried in concern. "Gerry, can you hear me?"

There was no reply and the doctor swallowed. He glanced over his shoulder. "We need some help here, quickly!" he urged the men.

Hodges shook out of his reverie and nodded at his ranch hands, within seconds they were at the doctor's side.

To clear the path in order to reach the pilot was an agonizingly slow process and Kate willed for it to go faster, afraid that the stillness of her colleague meant he'd suffered the same fate as old Jeremy Rodgers.

"I'll go down, Kate, you just hand me my bag," Tom said suddenly. "Kate?"

She nodded as the doctor gently eased down to their common friend and colleague.

Gerry was lying face down so Tom didn't know what to expect as he carefully knelt next to him. The doctor took a deep breath as he placed two fingers under the pilot's jaw to take his pulse and was relieved to find one. Although the pilot didn't stir by the touch.

"Gerry, wake up mate," Tom commanded and then nodded at Kate to hand over the bag.

The eyelids suddenly fluttered open and dull brown eyes tried to level with the doctor's.

"That's good," Tom encouraged as Kate sat down next to them and opened the medical bag.

"Firmly planted to the ground," the pilot mumbled weakly.

Tom frowned in confusion, thinking he was delirious but Kate caught on to his words and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think this was what Jeremy intended," she admitted.

"Jeremy," Gerry whispered. "How is he?"

Tom shared a dark look with Kate and slowly shook his head.

The nurse hesitated and plastered a smile on her face. "Let's not worry about him," she said softly.

"He's free," Hodges reported as he removed the last piece of wood from the pilot's leg.

"Right," Tom said. "I need some help to turn him around."

"Sure thing doc," John said and nodded to another man close by.

"Very carefully," Tom cautioned.

Kate and Gerry gasped in unison but for entirely different reasons as the pilot was gently turned on his back.

"Holy-" the young ranch hand began.

The pilot's left side was covered in dark red blood that emanated from two puncture wounds with a few inches apart.

"What are those?" Kate whispered as she glanced at the smaller sticky objects that stuck up from the ground next to her colleague.

"Parts of some bloody invention Jeremy has made," John said darkly.

Gerry gasped in despair as Tom gently put pressure on the wounds to try and stop the blood flow.

"I know it hurts mate but I have to do this," Tom apologized.

"Take my hand," Kate said softly and grimaced as the pilot's bloodied hand locked hers in a vicelike grip to take the edge off the pain.

"Kate," Tom commanded seriously. "I need you to hold this," he said and indicated the bandage that was starting to get soaked with blood and then glanced down at the pilot. "Gerry. I'll give you something for the pain, it'll get better in a minute. I promise you."

"We need to get him to the hospital fast," Kate said worriedly to Tom as she watched him prepare a syringe.

"There's no one here to fly the plane," Tom said darkly as he slipped the tip of the needle beneath the skin of the pilot's arm.

"He needs surgery," she persisted.

"Stop talking like there's no hope for me," Gerry whispered faintly, his eyes closed.

"Mail plane," Tom said suddenly. "It hasn't been here yet has it?"

Kate nodded hopefully as she nodded toward John. "Could you get the mail plane here?"

The farmer nodded and turned on his heels to run toward the house and the radio. "I'm on it," he assured her.

OOOOOO

Nick spared a distracted glance at his wristwatch as he sat waiting in the truck just outside the hospital. He turned his head hopefully toward the entrance as the door opened and sighed as an old woman with a cane walked out. "Come on," he whispered.

He jumped as the passenger door to the tow truck suddenly opened and a smiling Annie jumped in.

Nick let out a relieved breath. "You just had to scare me like that didn't you?" he said sarcastically.

She turned to him amusedly. "Why are you here anyway? I thought you'd park outside the base?" she said.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she let on happily as she placed a large bag in her lap and closed the door.

"We're not going to be gone for a week you know," he teased her.

"It's for the radio school," she explained. "Some stuff I need."

"Why? I mean it's not like they can see what you're doing?" he reasoned skeptically.

She playfully slapped his shoulder. "Just drive, Nick," she said.

OOOOOO

"Maple Hodges Station calling Victor Charlie Charlie," Kate said desperately into the microphone. "Come on Clare, pick up," she mused under her breath.

"Maple Hodges Station calling Victor Charlie Charlie, Clare, are you receiving?" Kate asked.

" _This is Victor Charlie Charlie, go ahead Kate,"_ Clare said jovially.

Kate sighed in relief. "Clare, I need to speak to Geoff or David, there's been an accident," she explained.

Clare glanced around the room to call upon her colleagues but they'd heard the call and was on their way."

Without a word Geoff walked up to the radio operator and leaned in over the microphone. "It's Geoff here Kate. What sort of accident?" he asked with a foreboding feeling as he heard the undertone of despair in his wife's voice.

Kate steeled herself and took a deep breath.

"Kate?" Geoff asked.

" _The old floor structure to the hayloft in the barn has collapsed. Brian Maple, his two youngest brothers and a friend of theirs fell through it-"_

"Is Tom with them?" Geoff interrupted her.

" _Yes, but Geoff there is more,"_ she said with a knot in her stomach _. "Gerry and Jeremy, Maple Hodges old ranch hand, was in the workshop beneath the loft when it collapsed."_

Silence settled over the communications device for a moment, a deafening eerie silence, until Geoff finally broke it. "Kate," he began.

" _Look, Geoff. Gerry is hurt really bad, Tom doesn't know if he can save him,"_ she informed in a quivering voice.

"What about the ranch hand, Jeremy?" David asked over the radio.

" _He's dead,"_ came Kate's hollow reply.

"Damn," Geoff muttered and ironically remembered when the roles had been reversed and it had been him stuck in the outback with an injured pilot and Kate was back at the base telling him to shape up.

" _Tom's got an idea. He wants to take Gerry to Crossing with the mail plane but John Hodges didn't manage to raise Nick Sanderson on the radio,"_ she said.

"We'll take care of that Kate and see to it that he arrives at Maple Hodges' as soon as possible," Geoff assured her. "Should I send David out in the car?"

" _No, there is no need. We have it under control. I'll drive them back to you, just be prepared when we get there,"_ she said.

"Are you sure?" David asked.

" _Just be ready for us when we get back and prepare the theater would you?"_ Kate said dejectedly.

"Everything will be arranged, Kate," Clare assured her softly. "I'll get on to Nick Sanderson and the mail plane straight away. Is someone manning the radio for you?"

" _Yes, just relay your message and I'll know. I have to go now. Maple Hodges Station out,"_ Kate finished.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four – Freedom Above**

Back at the Royal Flying Doctor Base Geoff and David shared a dark look.

"I don't like this," David protested as Geoff made to leave for the hospital. "I mean, Kate is just a nurse. What if something happens during transit?"

Geoff halted in mid-step and turned to his younger colleague. "Kate is an excellent nurse. She'll do what's required of her and more," he said in a voice that left no room for further discussion.

David looked away briefly and sighed. "I'm sorry, Geoff I didn't mean it that way," he apologized.

Geoff gave him a guarded smile. "I know, David. Just help me get the theater ready and then head out to the airport," he ordered.

"What about the clinic? Should Annie and I go out there to finish it?" David asked.

Geoff shook his head. "Annie's left with Nick and considering what's happened out there I think it's better to recess and book another clinic the next week or so," he reasoned.

"Should I call her back?" Clare asked.

Geoff nodded. "Immediately," he said. "We need her in theatre. But Clare, don't tell her it's Gerry. Not yet, she doesn't need to be worried prematurely."

OOOOOO

Gerry grinded his teeth in agony and hissed as Tom gently put pressure on the now open wounds.

"Keep still, Gerry," the doctor commanded sternly with an underlying concern for his colleague in his voice that had the pilot on edge.

"What's the verdict?" The pilot tried bravely.

"Just keep still," Tom replied shortly.

"Great," Gerry grimaced, not daring to glance down his side. "Did I tell you…I can't stand blood?"

In desperation Tom suddenly chuckled and then glanced up as Kate made her way over to them. "Have you heard anything?" he asked anxiously.

"He's en route as we speak and should arrive in another thirty minutes or so," she explained and nodded at their common friend.

"He said to tell you that if you make any comments on his flying skills you're off the plane," she admonished with a soft yet concerned smile.

Despite being drained of energy Gerry's lips curled slightly upwards even though his face was a tight mask of controlled pain. "I can't make any promises," he whispered cockily and closed his eyes.

"Hey," Tom cautioned. "You're not fainting on me, or slipping into shock are you?"

"Just resting my eyes," the pilot mumbled.

Kate shared a worried look with Tom who dejectedly shook his head.

The minutes went by agonizingly slow and Kate felt a lifetime had passed when the mail plane finally turned up. Gerry was sitting next to her, slouched in the passenger seat of the four wheel drive. Every raged breath he took sent a shiver down Kate's spine. It was a curse to be medically trained at times. Despite the fact that it had happened several years ago she couldn't help but to draw parallels to another accident. She kept thinking back on Gibbo, the friend and pilot they hadn't been able to save.

"Here he is," Tom said from the backseat.

Kate shielded her eyes with her hand as she gazed up in the air at the sound of the engine.

"My goodness," Gerry wheezed in disbelief as the old and worn aircraft made a landing approach. "Would that thing keep it together all the way back to Crossing?"

Despite the seriousness of the situation Tom shook his head and chuckled. "You sound better, do you feel any better?" he asked.

"I'm afraid to do an inventory," he quipped and hissed as he tried to shift in the seat. "My blood is seeping through my fingers."

Tom said nothing as he got out of the car and ran up to the mail plane to have a chat with the pilot. The minute later he went back to the car and opened the passenger door. "Come on Gerry," Tom encouraged.

"I'd rather stay put," he whispered faintly.

"Sorry, mate," the doctor returned sternly and stepped aside slightly to give Kate room to help him move the pilot to the awaiting aircraft.

Nick gave a low whistle as the trio past him and quickly ran up ahead to open the passenger door of the old aircraft.

Tom eased himself inside and then gently heaved the Nomad endorsed pilot inside while Kate closed the door behind them and Nick got into the cockpit next to Gerry to fire up the old engine again.

"Don't spare the horses, Nick," Tom said, trying to keep his voice light and free from the anxiety he was feeling. Despite being a professional doctor he wasn't immune to feelings and he preferred not to treat his own colleagues, let alone lose them on the way to the hospital.

The mail plane pilot nodded and gently reached out to fasten the RFDS pilot's seatbelt. By the look on his face he didn't like what he saw one bit.

Although Nick occasionally took passengers who paid for the ride, not for free like his successor Frank, he wasn't used to emergencies, injured persons, demanding doctors or blood. It unsettled him to see the man next to him on the verge of bleeding out before his eyes. Unconsciously he willed the little aircraft to go faster than she really could and prayed they would have a tailwind all the way to Cooper's Crossing.

OOOOOO

Kate watched the single engine aircraft take off and slowly climb toward the horizon until it became nothing but a faint spot. With a heavy heart she walked over to the Nomad, who stood ready for flight at the end of the Maple Hodges airstrip, and jumped into the cockpit to put the radio on.

"Mike Sierra Foxtrot to Victor Charlie Charlie," she said into the microphone.

" _Mike Sierra Foxtrot this is Victor Charlie Charlie receiving,"_ Clare's clear voice came over channel.

"Clare, they've taken off now," Kate reported wearily. "If everything goes according to plan, they should be at the airfield in two hours, the mail plane can't make it faster."

" _You've done everything possible Kate,"_ Geoff said. _"It's up to Tom and Gerry now."_

Kate chuckled at the absurdity as she remembered the old comic show with the cat and mouse. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Geoff, obviously aware of what he'd just said, chuckled too. _"I'm glad someone finds the situation hilarious,"_ he returned.

Kate sighed and sobered. "I'll head back to take care of the three children and poor Brian," she said.

" _What's the nature of their injuries?"_ Geoff asked to keep his and Kate's mind off Tom and Gerry.

"You already know that," Kate returned.

" _Just humor me, Kate,"_ he said.

"One of the young boys amazingly got away with a small cut over his left eyebrow. The other two weren't quite so lucky. One of them suffered a broken arm and the other a broken ankle, both of them are sporting various cuts and bruises," she reported dutifully.

Silence settled over the open radio channel for a moment before Kate spoke up again. "It's Brian I'm worried about," she finally said. "He's blaming himself for everything, for causing the accident that killed his 'uncle Jeremy'.

" _Surely no one else blame him?"_ Clare asked.

"No, I don't think so," Kate returned. "But that's the least he needs right now. He suffered a severe blow to his head, cracked a few ribs and have a very colorful shoulder. He needs to rest and recuperate."

" _Are you sure you don't want David to drive out there?"_ Geoff asked.

"Jennie is helping me with the kids and Brian. We'll take both four wheel drives and drive toward Crossing as soon as possible. The cars are not equipped by radio communication but I'd estimate that we'd be home in about three and a half hour if we leave immediately," she reasoned.

" _Kate, I don't like it,"_ Geoff cautioned.

"We're out of options," she returned seriously. "Tom checked them up before he left, they are not in immediate danger."

" _What about Brian?"_ Geoff returned. _"You can't tell if he's got internal hemorrhaging."_

"No, but at the moment he doesn't show such symptoms and it's better to move him than to let him stay here," she argued. "Estimate our arrival around eight pm. Mike Sierra Foxtrot out."

Kate sighed and glanced out the cockpit windows. She reached up to turn off the radio and everything else that might consume battery power. The nurse then checked that everything was locked so that no one could come in and play with the equipment in the cabinet where they kept medicine and supplies in the cabin. With a heavy heart she left the aircraft and turned to the four wheel drive. "Goodbye 'Foxy'," she said and then shook her head wondering why she was saying goodbye to a piece of machinery.

OOOOOO

John Maple Hodges ushered a tear away from his cheek and then wiped away the thin sheen of perspiration from his forehead. He sighed and heaved himself up of the grave he'd dug for his father's old friend, the whole family's friend, Jeremy Rodgers.

John shoved the shovel hard into the dry ground and grunted.

"It's okay to cry dad," a soft voice spoke up from behind him.

He chuckled mirthlessly as he turned around to face his oldest child and only daughter in the family. Born only one year before Brian she was now a startling young woman. He saw less and less of her as time went past and since a couple of years back she'd been living in Sydney to complete her studies.

"I'm glad you're home," he said simply as he closed the small distance between them.

She said nothing, instead she gently squeezed his shoulder and gazed toward the grave.

An eerie silence settled over the pair as they shared both grief and pain.

"I'll miss 'uncle' Jeremy," she finally managed in a subdued voice.

"Yeah, love," John replied despondently. "I always knew this day would come, that he wouldn't live forever, but I didn't expect it to end so suddenly, so tragically."

Joanne Maple smiled, not sure what else to do but it was a forced and unsettling smile that did nothing to hide the sadness in her eyes. She reached into her purse and withdrew a set of old and worn photographs with fondness.

"I hope he is free now," she said and handed over the pictures to her father. "When I was ten I caught him looking at them. At first he told me to go away but I was persistent and nosy," she trailed off and laughed at the memory.

John stared at the young man on the photos. There was no mistake about it, it was Jeremy on the pictures, but he was not a simple ranch hand or a drifter as his father had cryptically told him when he'd asked about 'uncle' Jeremy. In his hand he held a photo of a young pilot, his crew and an old aircraft called 'the Runner'.

"He told me he'd let me in on his secrets if I promised not to tell anyone, and as a little child I gladly accepted, eager to hear about his adventures," she explained hollowly.

"That is a bomber," John said slowly as he studied the picture closely.

"Yes," she said. "He never told me the real reason for not taking up flying again, he kept telling me he had everything he wanted here and that he was happy. He didn't need flying anymore, he had had enough."

John smiled. "When I was little I remember Jeremy and your granddad gazing at the sky. I called them about it one day and Jeremy looked down at me and said, with a twinkle in his eyes, that there was freedom above. I've never understood what he meant, until now," he said.

Joanne gently embraced her father in a hug. "I've arranged for Father Jacko to arrive early tomorrow morning, that way he'll have a proper funeral," she whispered.

OOOOOO

Kate cursed as she drove into a large pothole. Brian cried out next to her and the smaller kid in the back whined miserably. "I'm sorry," she mumbled and cast a quick glance in the rear-mirror.

There was a honk on the horn from behind her and she pursed her lips into a thin line of displeasure as she saw that the other car had stopped. She came to a halt and killed the engine. With a sigh she retrieved her small supply bag and went over to the other four wheel drive.

Jennie breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the nurse come her way. "Thank goodness, Kate," she exclaimed. "I don't know how long I can handle listening to the whining and complaining from these two. Can't you give them something for the pain?"

"I don't dare to give them much more and the supplies are running low," Kate reasoned.

"Please, Kate, how long until we reach Cooper's Crossing? Another hour?" Jennie asked wearily.

The nurse nodded. "Do you have water?" she asked.

Jennie nodded and turned to rummage through the mess of things on the passenger seat next to her.

"I'll do a quick check up and give them a few tablets but that's it," Kate reasoned. "Then we must head on and speed up. Are the roads this bad the whole way?"

"We've been taking a short cut," Jennie said. "Although, I don't know, considering the low pace, if it was the right way to take under the circumstances. How's Brian and his kid brother?"

"Holding on, but the faster we can get them to the hospital the better," Kate explained.

"I'll step on it," Jennie assured her. "I don't suppose you've got any earplugs?"

"Sorry," Kate said softly.

OOOOOO

Nancy walked into the semi-dark base and frowned. "Clare, why are you sitting in the dark? Where is everybody?" she asked worriedly.

The radio operator glanced up from her work and smiled. "I haven't gotten around to turn on the lights in the duty room," she said sheepishly.

Nancy quickly moved over to hit the switch. "There," she said softly.

"You haven't heard?" Clare began carefully as she studied Nancy's jovial face.

"Heard what?" she enquired in confusion. "The baby news are all over town."

Clare swallowed. "Nancy, there's been an accident," she began seriously as she removed her reading glasses. "Several children has been injured at the Maple Hodges' station, their old ranch hand Jeremy Rodgers didn't make it at all."

"Oh dear, "Nancy mumbled as she held up a hand before her mouth. "It was a good thing that Tom and Kate was there when it happened then."

"I'm afraid there is more," Clare let on, not sure how to break the news to the kind woman next to her. "Tom is flying in with Gerry in the mail plane-"

"Is the Nomad broken again?" Nancy interrupted.

"It's not the aircraft that's broken. It's the pilot," Clare said in a subdued voice.

" _Kilo Sierra Kilo to Victor Charlie Charlie,"_ Tom's familiar voice came over the radio.

"Go ahead Kilo Sierra Kilo," Clare replied quickly.

" _Clare, we're coming in now, is everything ready?"_ the doctor asked.

"Yes, the ambulance is standing by and the theatre is ready. How is he?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer.

" _Not good, Clare,"_ Tom said darkly. _"Kilo Sierra Kilo out."_

OOOOOO

To be continued


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five – Reality**

Annie stared at her colleague's face unable to look away. It was with horrible fascination she compared the image in her head of the charming smile he'd given her earlier with the pale and still face before her on the operating table. She swallowed, this was not exactly how she'd imagined her evening to be. Hesitantly she walked up to stand next to Geoff and hoped it was all some kind of a nightmare and that she would wake up anytime.

"Annie?" Geoff said as he eyed her with concern. "Are you all right?"

"It's Gerry," she whispered. "You could have warned me."

"I'm sorry," he said as he steeled himself and gently raised the scalpel.

"I'll be assisting," Tom assured her. "You just keep an eye on him and the stats at all time."

Annie nodded. There was something in the tone of Tom's voice that told her things weren't looking well.

Another nurse suddenly showed up with several blood bags and Annie gently walked around the table to give her a hand to set up a transfusion. "I'll take it from here," she said softly to the other nurse.

"Do we have enough?" Tom asked Geoff.

Annie curiously turned the bag to see the type of blood and read B+.

"We're on the last reserves," he replied darkly.

"What do you see?" Tom asked carefully as he assisted him.

"A mess," Geoff let on wearily. "We can start by removing the spleen, then there's a tear here-"

Annie tuned out the medical jargon and turned back to Gerry's ashen face. Despite everything he looked almost peaceful, like he was just asleep. It was with a hint of desperation she realized that this was a sleep he might never wake up from.

OOOOOO

Brian slowly opened his eyes only to find it hard to focus. He saw a man standing at the foot of his bed but couldn't really make out who it was.

"Brian?" A kind male voice said.

The twenty five year old nodded and winced at the pain that shot through his skull.

"My name is David Ratcliffe. I'm going to be your physician during your stay here. Do you remember what happened?"

He nodded dejectedly. "I killed him," he whispered. "And I injured several others-" he trailed off and swallowed. "I didn't kill your pilot too did I?"

David shook his head. "First of all, Brian. You didn't kill anyone. It was an accident," the doctor assured him.

"If I hadn't gone up there-" he whispered.

"Who knows what might have happened," David countered. "It would probably have collapsed anyway, the outcome might have been the same."

"No," he said stubbornly.

David pursed his lips, annoyed at the man before him but accepted him placing blame for the moment. "How are you feeling?" he asked kindly.

"Hazy, there's a dull ache in my chest and shoulder," he admitted.

"You've cracked a few ribs and your shoulder is quite colorful," David explained. "You did manage to hit your head pretty bad in the fall."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Brian's lips. "It's still attached," he declared. "It throbs."

"I bet it is," David replied. "You have a severe concussion, that's why we will be disturbing your sleep for a while until we're sure you're all right."

"Sounds fair," the young patient returned. "How's the kids?"

"Don't worry about them, Brian. They'll be as good as new in no time at all," David assured him as he made to leave.

"And your pilot?" he enquired hopefully.

"Just push the button if you need anything," David returned cryptically, a plastered smile on his face as he closed the curtain behind him.

OOOOOO

Vic Buckley laughed at the joke told by the old rancher in the bar and shared a toast with him. They went back a long time together but rarely saw each other nowadays when the rancher had moved deep into the outback.

"Just like old times, Vic," Charlie chuckled as he raised his glass again.

"Yeah," the bar owner drawled. "It's good of you to drop in from time to time. It's good for business," he added smugly.

"I think that's the last one for you, Charlie," Nancy said cautiously as Vic moved over to fill up another pint to his old time friend.

"Come on Nance," Vic hollered annoyed over his shoulder. "He needs one for the road."

She snorted. "You better give him a room, Vic. If Jack finds him in this state there is going to be trouble."

"Don't you worry about the man in blue, Nancy love," the rancher said with a cunning smile. "He's going to have his hands full with that horrible accident over at the Maple Hodges Station."

Nancy shuddered at the mention of it and absentmindedly picked up the cloth to clean behind the counter.

The door suddenly opened to reveal David and Clare. They looked tired and drawn. None of them managed a convincing smile that reached their eyes as they walked up to the counter.

"How is he?" Nancy said by way of greeting.

David sighed and stifled a yawn. "He's holding on," he answered in a subdued voice. "Tom and Annie is looking after him and the others."

"Of course," Nancy said sheepishly as her only concern had been for the pilot.

"That old fella, what's his name," Vic began.

"Rodgers," David filled in curtly. "Jeremy Rodgers. His life couldn't be saved. He must have died instantly when that old hayfork impaled him.

Clare made a face and nodded at Nancy. "We came here to try and have something to eat. Even though we aren't very hungry considering what's been going on today."

"What about the poor kids?" Charlie asked curiously.

"One amazingly got away with a small cut while the other two sustained a broken arm and a busted ankle respectively. All of them have an impressive collection of smaller cuts and bruises," David explained. "However, I'm most concerned about Brian Maple who went up on the hayloft to get them down and ended up causing the accident. He blames himself really bad."

"Shouldn't he?" Nancy asked angrily.

"He did what he thought was the right thing to do. He tried to get them down before something happened," David reasoned.

"The poor young man seems to be a nice guy, Nancy," Clare offered. "He will have enough on his plate to come to terms with what happened without other people placing blame on him."

Nancy nodded. "You're right Clare," she admitted sheepishly. "Now, what can we get you to eat?"

OOOOOO

Geoff Standish walked the dim corridor of the men's ward at the Cooper's Crossing District Hospital. It had been one of those days; one of those days that would be etched in your memory forever. He tiredly ran a hand through his thick blond hair and stifled a yawn. His rounds had already been completed for the day and at the moment he was looking for his missing wife.

As he rounded the corner and came close to the nurse's station he came to a halt as he caught sight of Kate Standish through the curtain of the last cubicle. She was sitting next to their pilot's bedside, gently holding his hand.

Geoff couldn't help but to smile as he saw her but then as he gently tip toed inside he frowned at the troubled look on her compassionate face.

Kate glanced up as she saw him and gave him a warm and dazzling smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes like it used to do.

Geoff gently placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it comfortable squeeze. Together they watched over the unconscious pale man before them, hooked up to various machines, an IV and a blood bag.

"What do we know about him?" she whispered sadly.

Geoff spared her a confused look.

"He's been here a year, he's an easygoing person, funny-" Kate began.

"A bit cocky," Geoff returned lightly.

Kate slapped his side playfully as he stood behind her and shook her head. "Seriously," she admonished him softly and sobered as she returned her focus on the pilot.

"He's an exceptional pilot," the doctor admitted.

"But what do we actually know about him, Geoff?" Kate asked sadly. "What are his dreams, what's he been doing? That sorts of things. He's never really told us anything. His sister is coming here as his next of kin. I didn't even know he had a sister."

Geoff looked from his wife to the pilot and then back again thoughtfully. "Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it," he suggested. "Come on, let's go home and get some sleep."

Kate reluctantly let go of Gerry's hand. "I don't know about you but I don't like nursing colleagues," she whispered to her husband. "I prefer them happy and healthy. This is a bit too close to home for me."

Geoff followed her gaze, his eyes once again landing on their unconscious colleague. He didn't have anything against Gerry, they might have gone off on the wrong foot when he arrived but that was over a long time ago. He'd been jealous of Kate's warmth and friendly manner with the younger handsome man she'd never met. He had had to fight to win her confidence. And then it was the way she'd been loaning Gerry his clothes and shared a laugh with him as if they'd known each other for years.

Gerry had proven to be a gentle and caring person underneath that slight cockiness and self-assurance he used as a façade. Geoff had come to trust Gerry with his life when it came to flying. Now it was Gerry's time to trust his life to the medically trained professionals in the team and Geoff wasn't about to let him down.

"He'll be all right, Kate," Geoff finally managed.

"You're forgetting I'm in the same business as you," Kate returned darkly. "The next few hours are critical."

The curtain was suddenly pushed aside to reveal Sister Rogers. "Are you still here?" she said softly. "You need to get some sleep."

"We were on our way," Geoff assured her kindly.

Annie nodded toward Gerry. "Tom and I'll look after him, don't you worry," she assured them. "Give it a few weeks and he'll be as good as new, ready to fly again."

'Months, a lot of physical therapy and tough physicals to get recertified, if he survives the night,' Geoff mused darkly but he didn't voice it, instead he returned the smile he was given by the young nurse before him. He knew it was Annie's way of assuring herself that everything would be fine and back to normal.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six – Sister and Brother**

Clare Bryant couldn't help but to smile at the sleeping doctor, his neck craned over a folder on the desk. She gently touched his shoulder. "Tom," she said kindly. "Isn't it better to go and get some real sleep?"

He chuckled mirthlessly as he reached up to rub his tired eyes. "I don't know if I can get any sleep tonight, Clare," he said wearily.

"Then at least have some coffee," she suggested and handed him a freshly brewed cup of the beverage.

"What would I do without you," he whispered thankfully.

The radio operator laughed softly at him but soon sobered. "How's Gerry?" she asked carefully, almost afraid of the answer.

Tom sighed. "All things considered he's doing fine but his condition is delicate. Everything hangs in the balance. If he survives the night, then his chances are good," he answered truthfully.

Clare drew in a deep breath. "Why did it have to be him?" she mused dismally. "Why did it have to be someone I talk to everyday?"

"It's never easy when it's someone you know," Tom reasoned as he slowly straightened in the chair and took a sip of the coffee. "I better get over there."

"Shouldn't David take the night shift?" she wondered aloud as she raised an impeccable eyebrow. "I mean you've done the clinic round and been busy the whole day."

"I asked for it, Clare," he replied softly. "I want to see this through, to check up on Gerry."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Tom but wouldn't it be better for him if the doctor was rested?" she asked carefully.

"I can't sleep anyway," he mused.

Clare turned to leave but hesitated and fixed the doctor with an anxious stare. "Tom, you'll tell us if something happens won't you?" she asked.

He held her stare for a moment, sharing with her the quiet concern for their common friend. Then he slowly nodded. "I promise you that," he whispered.

OOOOOO

Back in Broken Hill the chilly morning air had nothing to do with Gina O'Neill's anxiety of boarding the small passenger aircraft set for Cooper's Crossing. She'd always been afraid of flying and it hadn't exactly lessened the day her father had died in a crash at the Melbourne Sports Flight Centre. She could still remember that unfaithful day. The grim look on the police officers faces as they came to offer the bad news, the way her mother's legs buckled beneath her as she came to learn about it and her brother's stoic features as he came back from the airfield.

Then she remembered her big brother's graduation, his large grin as he walked up to her in his dashing uniform, ruffled her hair and placed his dress cap on her head.

" _You don't look very happy," he said._

" _Dad lost his life when flying," Gina returned seriously._

" _I'm not going to die," Gerry told her confidently, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. "What are you afraid off? That I would haul your ass into a small aircraft and do a loop?"_

" _If you do that I'll kill you," she said unamused. "Seriously, Gerry, be careful."_

 _He shrugged cockily. "I'll write you down as my next of kin," he suggested._

"Are you coming miss?" A stern voice asked and effectively broke her stargazing.

Gina took a deep breath and fiddled with her bag before turning to the man and nodded.

The older pilot took her bag from her trembling hand and then smiled at her kindly, sensing her nervousness. "There is nothing to be afraid off miss," he assured her.

She gave him a sheepish smile and decided to board the plane before she lost her nerve. "I'm doing this for you Gerry," Gina whispered.

OOOOOO

Geoff stifled a yawn as he got into the hospital building early in the morning and frowned as he spotted David already at the nurse's desk. "Has something happened?" he asked in concern.

David's lips twitched upwards in careful amusement as he closed the folder he'd been studying. "Good morning to you too," he greeted.

Geoff rolled his eyes.

"I relieved Tom a few hours ago. He's a hard man to convince he needs a break," David let on.

"I didn't think it was even possible," Geoff returned with a cunning smile. "You'd better let me in on the secret."

"To answer your question," David said seriously. "Nothing has happened, nothing good, nothing bad."

"Kate and I barely slept tonight," he admitted as he stifled another yawn. "Might as well have been working."

"Look," David began seriously. "I've cancelled my trip to the climbing event."

"Why?" Geoff asked with a frown. "The way I see it it's a wonderful opportunity. We have to reschedule a lot of the clinics and patient transfers. Tom and I can handle things."

"That's just it," David reasoned. "It doesn't feel right to go at the moment."

"Pardon me for putting it this way, David, but Gerry will either pull through or his body will give in to the damages he's sustained. It doesn't matter if you go or not," Geoff said.

"I can't go away, Geoff, not when I know that a colleague's life is on the line," he argued.

The clinical department head nodded in understanding and gently patted him on the back. They shared a ghost of a smile.

"Look, I'll take your rounds if you want to catch up on some paperwork," David said smugly trying to lighten the mood.

Geoff made a face. "Should? Yes. Want to? No," he replied sarcastically as he began to walk toward the base.

"Was that a yes or no?" David hollered after him.

"Take my rounds!" Geoff replied. "Call me over when you're to see Gerry!"

OOOOOO

Clare smiled at Geoff when he entered the base and nodded toward a large tapestry with a comparison between Chris and Geoff's deliveries when it came to babies. "I think a congratulation is in order she said cheerfully.

He curiously moved over to the comparison that DJ once had made and chuckled at pictures of him and Chris with various babies. "I'm afraid Chris can no longer defend her score," he said and frowned as he caught sight of Tom seated behind what used to be Chris's desk.

He strolled over to his colleague and the man who was once his predecessor at the base. "According to David you're not on duty," Geoff said kindly as he stopped to lean on the doorframe to the small office.

Tom snorted.

"Have you heard anything from her?" Geoff finally asked carefully. "Chris, I mean."

Tom spared him a disinterested glance and returned to his medical book. "Why would I have done that?" he asked simply.

Geoff shrugged. "I thought you two were close," he offered.

Tom broke into a fond smile and then turned to his colleague solemnly. "Maybe we were once," he mused.

OOOOOO

Nick walked into the hospital in search for Annie with a basket in hand. He smiled at another nurse and headed further into the building. He walked past the nurse's desk and into the small cafeteria. Having no luck in finding her he continued further into the kitchen where the meals got prepared. He brightened as he spotted her bent over a meatloaf.

"There you are," he said kindly as he walked up to her.

"Hi, Nick," she greeted happily and nodded toward an older nurse. "I was just giving Nadja a hand."

He gave her shy smile and showed her the basket he'd kept behind his back. "I was wondering if you wanted to share this with me?" he said. "I'd planned to take you up to the Goolies yesterday evening but-"

Annie gave him a dazzling smile. "Nick," she exclaimed in surprise. "Of course. I would love to. Just let me finish up here first."

"Off you go," the older nurse said with encouragement. "I'll handle this."

"Are you sure?" Annie asked.

Nadja looked smug and waved her off.

OOOOOO

Gina hesitated as she stood outside the Royal Flying Doctor Station in the small town and wondered, not for the first time, what she was really doing there. Brother and sister hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms five years ago. She was afraid that he didn't want to see her. However, she was desperate to see him again now that she'd found him.

Gerry had saved her life by forcing her to that clinic. It had taken her time to realize that and to forgive him for his actions but deep down she had always known he did it because he loved her. She had been too far gone then to understand what had become of her.

After her their father had died and her mother turned into a shell of her former glory Gina became addicted on pills to dampen her pain. It had been easy to get her hands on them since their father owned one of the largest medical companies in Melbourne and she had been working as a sales woman toward pharmacies.

Her brother had seen something was off the minute he'd returned from his posting as a pilot at the second largest airline fright company. It had ended in several rows and she'd started to avoid him when he came back home occasionally. She hid behind the pills, they gave her strength to make it through the day. She got mood swings, became tired and lost weight and then one day she collapsed.

At the hospital she'd managed to convince everyone she was just bushed but Gerry would have none of it and accused her of lying and stealing drugs. He waited for her one day when she got home from work and forced her into the car, drove her to a clinic for drug abusers and checked her in. She'd cursed him and screamed at him but he'd turned a blind eye and left her to deal with her conflicted feelings and find a way to deal with the past traumas of her life. He'd left her to find a way out of her addiction. It turned into a private hell for her and she vowed never to forgive him. However, as she got better she had realized how stupid she'd been. During her darkest hours she'd shouted that she never wanted to see him again and then, one day, he just left never to return for another visit. When she was released she'd wanted nothing more than to tell him how sorry and regretful she was and that she had long since forgiven him but she'd lost contact with him and hadn't been able to find him.

Ironically, it wasn't until now when the roles were reversed, when she was the one to take care of him that she began to understand how hard it had been for him to do what he did and to see her so sick. She was afraid of losing him now that she'd finally found him again and she didn't know if she could cope with losing the only family member she had left.

Gina sighed gathering courage to knock on the door.

"Can I help you miss?" A young man asked kindly from behind her.

She gave him a sheepish smile, unsure of herself. The man before her looked charming and gentle, he was the same height as she and dressed in light slacks matched with a striped shirt that matched the color of his brown eyes.

"Doctor Callaghan?" she guessed.

He chuckled and shook his head. "You're partly right. I'm a doctor but my name is David Ratcliffe," he said and offered her his hand.

She gently shook it.

"What gave me away?" he asked curiously.

"I've met a lot of your type," she let on enigmatically.

David studied the good looking woman before him and guessed she was about the same age as he, perhaps a few years younger. He took in her long brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders and her light brown eyes that seemed to measure him up. Her attire told him she was from one of the larger cities, her posh blouse was slightly crinkled, probably from a long journey, but the long silky skirt that did nothing to hide her curves arched beautifully around her hips as if it had just been put on.

"I-" she began and suddenly averted her eyes to fix them on some invisible spot on the ground. "I'm looking for my brother," she managed nervously. "I'm Gina O'Neill."

David suddenly felt his mouth go dry.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – By Your Side**

"I think she's got the wrong idea about us," Annie said with a cagey smile as she and Nick walked outside.

Nick chuckled. "You think so?" he asked enigmatically with a twinkle in his eyes.

Annie shrugged mischievously, a little unsure of what he meant.

They walked in silence the last few steps to the rotunda and sat down next to each other with only the basket in between.

"So, how are you?" the young mechanic asked softly as he handed her a large sandwich. "I heard you assisted at the operation. It must have been tough."

"I didn't do much," she answered hollowly. "But you're right, I didn't sleep at all when I got home. I kept seeing him every time I closed my eyes."

"Will he be all right?" Nick finally managed.

Annie sighed. "I don't know," she returned truthfully, her voice quivering slightly.

Nick gently placed a hand around her shoulder to comfort her.

"He's pulled through the operation and he's improving but-"

"Then he will be all right," Nick assured her.

"I hate this, Nick," Annie admitted. "I know they said we had to be professional in every way at every time at the academy but that's easy to say. Gerry is a colleague, he's someone I talk to everyday, not just some patient I see once or twice a year at a clinic run."

"I'm sure you can do it," Nick encouraged kindly.

"This is what I dreaded coming out here, everyone is so close. We're like one big family," she reasoned. "This would never have happened if I'd stayed at the hospital in Broken Hill."

"Did you want that?" Nick asked curiously.

"No," she whispered. "Not really."

OOOOOO

David led her to Tom's office, at the hospital, and knocked on the door before popping his head in to find the older doctor going through his file cabinet. "Tom, there's someone here to see you."

"Sure, come in," he offered.

David nodded at Gina and held up the door for her. "This is Doctor Callaghan," he offered warmly.

The doctor nodded.

"Tom, this is Gina O'Neill," David introduced and then turned to leave.

"Thanks," Gina said appreciatively as she watched him walk down the length of the corridor and disappear around the corner.

"Miss O'Neill," Tom began seriously. "I'm the doctor who called you yesterday afternoon."

"Where's Gerry?" Gina managed with forced politeness.

Tom studied her for a moment. "As I mentioned on the phone your brother had an accident. I will not lie to you. His condition is serious but stable for the moment."

Gina let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and swallowed. "Will he-" she began but couldn't bear to even mouth the words and steeled herself, afraid of the answer to the question.

Tom gave her a soft and reassuring smile as he walked over to her. "Gerry is tough and he's holding on. The most critical period has passed and if there aren't any unforeseen complications I see no reason for him not to make a full recovery.

Gina gave him a hesitant and uncertain smile. "Do you think he would want to see me?" she asked carefully.

He frowned at the question but he didn't enquire further what she meant, thinking it wasn't his business. "I'm afraid he isn't very talkative at the moment but it certainly won't hurt him to see a friendly face," he suggested.

Gina saddened at the last couple of words, her smile vanishing for a moment, and she looked almost ashamed.

"Is something wrong?" Tom asked gently.

Gina shook her head and the smile came back but it was forced and unconvincing. "No, I haven't seen him in a long time that's all," she explained.

The doctor seemed satisfied with the answer and nodded at her to follow him. "I must warn you though, Miss O'Neill-"

"Gina," she interrupted him. "Please, call me Gina."

"Very well, Gina," Tom replied as they walked over to the ward and the cubicle where the pilot lay. "Your brother's had quite extensive surgery and a rather rough night. Don't be afraid when you see him."

Gina swallowed as Tom gently drew the curtain aside to let her in. Despite the good doctor's assurances she couldn't help but to gasp. Gathering herself she moved up to her brother's bedside and reached out with her hand to trail his face with her manicured fingers.

"Remember, just a short moment," Tom said kindly as he turned away to leave them alone.

Gina glanced over her shoulder as the dark haired man closed the curtain behind him. Tired and weary from shock she sat down next to her brother and took his hand. She grimaced at clammy skin and the slackness of the fingers as she intertwined them with hers. At first glance he looked dead, his complexion too pale for someone alive and his hair seemed damp and ruffled on the pillow.

"Get well now big brother," she whispered, her voice so full of worry and anxiety that it hurt to speak. "I need you."

OOOOOO

"Vic!" Tom said he walked into the pub. "Do you have a room for the next couple of nights?"

The bar and hotel owner nodded jovially as he retrieved the ledger from underneath the counter. "For the good-looking woman that David found outside the base?" he drawled.

Tom harrumphed and scratched the back of his neck. "I see the jungle telegraph has already spoken," he returned sarcastically.

"I suppose one could have worked it out," Vic mused. "I mean Gerry, he's popular among the women, good-looking and all. Of course his sister would be-"

Nancy gracefully stomped on his toe and gave him a murderous look as she walked up from behind.

"That hurt," he complained.

"Serves you right, Vic Buckley," she returned unamused and focused her attention on the doctor. "Tom, of course we have. I'll make sure the room is ready for her when she arrives. The poor thing, she must be tired and worried."

"Yeah," he mused unconvincingly. "Look, I'll better head back to the hospital."

"Don't you want some lunch?" Nancy asked sweetly.

He waved at her lazily. "Later Nancy," he said.

Vic huffed. "Later is dinner. You keep skipping meals and we're going to be broke, doc."

"Don't mind that old mung roe," Nancy said. "See you later."

David pushed away his empty plate and gently wiped his mouth with the napkin. "Tom," he said as he rose from the table. "How did she take the news?"

He sighed as he glanced around the table at Nick, the mail plane pilot and Kate. "There is something…" he trailed off as David excused himself from the table and headed outside with his colleague.

"I can't put my finger on it but there is something that doesn't seem right," Tom said truthfully.

OOOOOO

"Good, there you are," Clare said as Geoff and Kate walked through the door to the base. "Head office has been trying to contact you about your request for a relief pilot."

"That's great news," he said in appreciation. "What did they say?"

"Basically that there are none available on such a short notice," she explained apologetically.

He sighed in frustration. "What do they expect-"

"Geoff," Kate admonished.

He sighed and spared his wife an annoyed glance. "We have clinics planned, transfers patients, we can't just cancel everything we've planned for the next few weeks."

"Calm down, honey," Kate said softly. "Why don't you give the head office a call and then we can take a look at the schedule and see what can be easily solved without an aircraft and what will have to be postponed?"

"Is there a way to get the Nomad back here at least?" Geoff asked sarcastically. "We can't have equipment worth a small fortune standing on an unguarded strip."

"At the moment I think Father Jacko is out there," Kate added smartly. "He's got connections with the good guy."

"Flying has never been his strong side, not what I've seen. I hope he hasn't crashed into the Nomad," he whined wearily.

Kate gently patted him on the back and pushed him toward his office. "Woke up on the wrong side," she mouthed at Clare with an amused smile.

OOOOOO

Nancy broke into a soft grin as the door opened to reveal the young woman who was the current talk of the town.

Gina O'Neill walked up to the bar, her high heels clicking on the vinyl flooring. She carried a bag over her thin shoulder that looked like it was on the verge to break her back any second.

"Hello, dear," Nancy greeted cheerfully. "We have a room ready for you."

"Thanks," she said with a curt nod.

Vic produced the old ledger and handed her a pen so that she could register. As Gina picked it up he couldn't help but to take notice of her manicured nails and the golden ring on her index finger.

She quickly signed it and nodded toward the stair. "Can I go up?" she asked.

"Sure," Vic said jovially and made to move around the counter. "I'll show you. Let me take that thing for you. It looks to me like you're going to be broken in two."

"Don't you want some food, love?" Nancy asked.

"Not at the moment, thank you," Gina returned, her voice reserved.

As she moved away several of the ranch hands at the pool table whistled in appreciation.

"Cut it out would you!" Nancy hollered at them in annoyance.

OOOOOO

He was restless and unsettled. He was aching in various places and he heard a faint murmur of voices in the room with him. Confused he tried to shake off the feeling of being watched yet he had no idea where he was. Awareness came to him gradually along with the faint beeping of machines around him and the smell of disinfectants. Then it came crashing over him in terms of bits and pieces of conversations, of shouting and hands on his chest, blood and excruciating pain.

"Gerry," a voice said sternly.

The machines around him started to beep more rapidly along with his elevated heartbeat and shallow breaths.

"Gerry," the voice called again. "Gerry, its Geoff. It's all right mate but you have to calm down."

The haze cleared around his brain and he tiredly blinked heavy eyelids open for the first time in two days.

The doctor and colleague smiled down at him. "That's better," he said kindly. "Welcome back!"

The pilot made a face as Kate walked into the room and smiled happily. "You look awfully cheerful," he mumbled suspiciously, his voice no more than a whisper. "Have I been causing trouble?"

"Painkiller?" Kate offered, seeing the tight expression on his face.

"Yes, please," the pilot returned a little too quickly for the others liking.

Geoff and Kate shared a look of concern.

"You had us worried there for a while," the doctor finally let on cryptically. "You're lucky to be alive."

Gerry made a face. "If this is lucky I don't want to know how unlucky feels," he whined miserably.

Kate chuckled. "It's good to have you back," she said. "There's someone-"

"Do you remember what happened?" Geoff asked and effectively cut Kate off.

The pilot nodded faintly. "I'll remember never to enter an old dilapidated building," he whispered.

Geoff smirked. "Yeah," he said. "Look, mate, we had to do a bit of surgery on you."

Gerry fought to keep his eyes open. "I hope you haven't rearranged too much," he said in a tight clipped voice.

"It'll soon get better," Kate assured him warmly.

"I'll fill you in tomorrow, go back to sleep, Gerry." Geoff said.

However the last few words was wasted upon the tired pilot who'd already closed his eyes and settled into a slumber.

Kate glared at her husband as they walked out of the cubicle. "Why didn't you let me tell him that his sister is here?" she asked.

"One thing at a time, Kate," the doctor cautioned.

"But it is his sister?" the nurse persisted.

Geoff nodded. "And it was you who was confused two days ago when you found out that he even had one. I had a word with Tom this morning and I don't think-"

"You never told anyone about your brother either," Kate interrupted him in annoyance. "He just appeared on our doorstep."

"Yeah and if Gerry will be just as confused about his sister staying here as I was when Barry appeared then I'd like to spare him that for the time being," he reasoned darkly.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight – Conflicted Feelings**

"What's bothering you, Nance?" Vic drawled as he walked into the kitchen and saw that his wife was already preparing for breakfast.

"Not very talkative is she?" Nancy said as she started to make an omelet.

"Come on," Vic reasoned. "She's been travelling far to get here, she's just found out her brother is seriously injured. Maybe she just wants to be left alone."

Nancy huffed. "She could at least show some appreciation," she replied.

"Give her time and maybe she'll come around. Just don't expect her to tell you every secret there is in the family."

"I've been wondering about that," Nancy admitted curiously. "Why did he never mention he's got a sister?"

OOOOOO

"Hi Gerry," Tom greeted as he walked into the room.

The pilot jumped slightly and winced at the sound of his voice even though his eyes had been open. He forced a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, I guess I was miles away," he offered.

The seasoned doctor nodded and pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure as he retrieved the journal hanging at the end of the bed. "Judging from that wince I'd say you're in pain," he guessed.

"Comes and goes," the pilot returned bravely.

Tom rolled his eyes. "Stop that, I'm a doctor remember? I do see the signs. There is nothing to gain by telling me you're all right when clearly you're not," he reasoned.

Mildly surprised by the statement Gerry looked annoyed but he said nothing.

The doctor sighed at his colleague. "Gerry, you scared me half to death back there," he admitted softly, eliciting a low chuckle from the patient.

"If you were scared what do you think I was?" he returned dryly and then lightly added; "I'll have a chat with that mail plane bloke. I thought my insides would jump out when he landed."

This time Tom laughed.

"I thought I heard your voice," a tall, dark-haired woman spoke up from the doorway and then hesitantly walked into the room before the doctor could stop her.

Tom cautiously studied the pilot as he recognized his sister.

Gerry's eyes hardened and he looked troubled for a moment then it was replaced by a strange mix of confusion and sadness. "Gina," he finally managed in a strained voice.

She quickly close the distance between them and gently bent down to hug him the best she could because of all the wires connected to him. "Yes, it's me big brother," she whispered as tears spilled on her cheeks.

Dumbfounded Gerry returned the hug even though it hurt him to do so.

"Careful," Tom cautioned in concern.

"Why Gina-" he managed, feeling exposed and vulnerable as she straightened and glanced down at him. "I'm glad you're all right."

Tom frowned at the statement, not sure what to believe.

"I should be the one to say that," Gina said seriously. "I've been so worried."

"Have you?" Gerry returned sarcastically.

She gently wiped away the tears from her face and looked ashamed. "I never meant those things, you know that," she stated. "I was a mess."

Gerry snorted. "Yes," he said curtly.

"What the hell are you doing here in the middle of nowhere almost getting yourself killed?" she demanded suddenly.

"What where you doing in the middle of Melbourne trying to get yourself killed?" he countered angrily.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room.

"I haven't seen you for years. I didn't know where you were and when I finally find out they tell me you're dying!" Gina stated, her voice raising with every word. "I only have one brother."

"Good," Gerry replied, just as irritated as his sister. "Now you know how it feels," he finished in a harsh voice and then grimaced.

The machines suddenly chirped louder. Tom quickly walked up to them, unable to stay quiet any longer. "Gerry, you have to calm down," he cautioned and glanced over his shoulder as Kate walked into the cubicle alarmed by the monitors from the nurse's station.

"Get her out of here would you?" Tom commanded in a no nonsense tone.

"I'll take her," David offered as he too walked into the cubicle. "Gina, come with me."

She shrugged his hands off, still focused on her brother.

"Now," David ordered as he closed his hand around her arm to haul her off.

Dejectedly she followed him out.

"Let's slip a mild sedative in his IV," Tom instructed Kate.

"No," Gerry whispered.

"Yes, Gerry," Tom said sternly as he took him gently by the shoulders in order to keep the pilot still. "I don't want all the work ruined. You need to rest and recuperate."

The doctor felt his injured colleague relax shortly after the sedative worked itself into his system. Tom sighed of relief as Gerry's head slightly lolled to the side.

"I said a mild sedative," Tom said amused as he turned to Kate.

"There is no harm done," she replied with a smirk. "You did say he needed to sleep. He'll be out for at least six hours."

OOOOOO

"You want to talk about it?" David asked kindly as they walked out the entrance door to the hospital.

Gina sighed and ran a hand through her long and silky hair. "Not really," she returned sourly.

The young doctor raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay," he said simply and surreptitiously glanced around the area. "Look, it must have been a tiring day for you. Why don't I walk you to the pub?"

"I can find my way there myself," she returned bitterly, her eyes hard and cold. "There's no risk of getting lost here."

David watched the woman walk away, not the least as charming as the day before when she'd first arrived and he'd found her outside the base.

He shook his head wearily. It seemed like their pilot had left out some really interesting details of his life.

OOOOOO

Geoff Standish sighed wearily as he got into the driver's seat of Mobile Two.

Annie sort of fell into the passenger seat next to him and closed her eyes briefly. "Kids," she mused. "Where does all their energy come from?"

Geoff chuckled. "We had it too when we were younger," he said.

"Not that kind of energy," she protested lightly and opened her eyes to have a glance at her wristwatch. "With a little luck we'll be back at Cooper's Crossing in one and a half hour."

Geoff made a face as he started the car.

Annie waved at the gathered kids and their teacher as they headed off and shook her head. "At least we haven't had any emergencies," she offered.

"We can't go on like this," the clinical department head complained lightly.

"Well, please enlighten me," Annie suggested. "What did the head office say?"

"It seems everything must be scheduled," he replied sarcastically. "Lucky for them they don't have to deal with emergencies."

"But surely there must be relief pilots around?" Annie reasoned. "The larger bases have more than one pilot, can't we just borrow one of them for a while?"

"That's too easy, Annie," Geoff said. "Anyway with a little luck they'd find us someone in a couple of days. Which, unfortunately, means that we'll have to do another clinic by car and cancel our annual radio school activity, or at last postpone it."

Annie suddenly laughed.

Geoff eyed her with concern.

"Here we are," she managed cheerfully yet with an undertone of bitterness. "The Flying Doctor's, driving a station wagon in the middle of nowhere."

"I can make the car fly over a pothole if you want?" Geoff said innocently.

Annie raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.

OOOOOO

Kate stuck her head inside the small office that Chris used to have to find Tom Callaghan hunched over the desk studying old charts. "So this is where you're hiding," she asked cheerfully.

He frowned at her and spotted Geoff behind her. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Long after work hours unless you're on call, mate," the other doctor offered. "Listen, I heard there was some commotion over at the hospital earlier."

Tom sighed and straightened his arched back to work out the kinks as he cast a glance at Kate before refocusing on her husband. "I said there was something not quite right, remember?" he stated.

"How's Gerry?" Geoff asked in concern.

"Still asleep, thanks to Kate," he let on. "How was the clinic?"

Geoff made a face. "I need that relief pilot, I'm getting cramp in the car," he whined lightly.

"You're just getting old doctor," Kate teased.

Geoff harrumphed. "We came to see if you'd care for some dinner over at the pub," he explained.

Tom sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Why not?" he reasoned wearily. "I'm getting nowhere anyway. I don't know where to start."

"Maggie Davies?" Geoff enquired curiously as he eyed the folders spread on the desk.

Tom nodded. "At first I tried to work out what's happened in the O'Neill family but I only seem to hit dead ends. They are from Melbourne and I don't have a lot of friends and contacts there," he said and sighed while reaching up to rub his tired eyes. "I did manage to get hold of an old GP from Gerry's medical file but he didn't let on much more than that his next of kin is his kid sister and that his parents are dead."

Geoff nodded thoughtfully. "Come to think about it he's never really told us about his background or his family. Only about crazy stunts and his time at the university and that sort of things."

"Well, judging from the reaction on both sides it seemed they didn't exactly see eye to eye about things," Tom offered with a raised eyebrow.

"What did they talk about?" Kate asked curiously.

Tom shook his head. "At first he was surprised to see her and then he told her that he was glad she was all right," the doctor offered by way of explanation.

Geoff and Kate shared a confused look.

"She tried to apologize for something but I don't know what. It seemed connected to her being a mess-" Tom trailed off and made a face.

"Maybe she's been sick?" Kate suggested.

"Still that doesn't explain why they broke contact with each other," Tom reasoned. "She was upset that he almost got killed."

"Well, I would have been too if it had been my sibling," Kate quipped.

"No, it wasn't like that," Tom mused. "He told her that now she knew how that felt."

Geoff shrugged and reached up with his hand to absentmindedly scratch his forehead. "I think we all need some food to clear our heads," he suggested.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine – Old Friends**

Kate frowned as she listened in on a one-sided conversation from the radio room. Clare was on the phone and the further the call went on the shorter the old woman's voice became until it was down to barely polite. It wasn't like their lovely radio operator to be curt and short with anyone.

"I understand, goodbye," Clare finally said and muttered something unintelligible as she put down the phone.

Kate curiously made her way over from the duty room.

Clare forced a smile as the nurse walked up to her. "It was the relief pilot on the phone," she explained. "He isn't exactly a charmer."

Kate shook her head with a smile. "At least there is one coming," she reasoned. "We are supposed to be the _Flying_ Doctor's after all."

"Why aren't there any female pilots?" Clare mused thoughtfully.

"We had a lovely relief pilot who filled in for Sam occasionally," Kate explained. "Maybe you've come across her? Debbie O'Brien?"

"Once or twice," Clare said. "Not enough to really get to know her I'm afraid."

"Anyway, it doesn't matter now. She's stopped flying," Kate said regretfully.

"Why?" Clare asked curiously as she put on her reading glasses.

"Some fool, a ranch hand, on a farm drove off the road while driving us from the runway to the clinic. Debbie hit her head. David and I thought nothing of it at the time and she said she was fine," Kate explained sadly. "Except, she was far from fine, she was concussed. I don't know what would have happened if David hadn't been onboard to land the Nomad when she fainted in mid-air on the way back to Cooper's Crossing."

Clare wrinkled her forehead and shuddered.

"She was never recertified after that," Kate finished.

"Surely you can't keep someone grounded for life just because they've received a concussion once?" Clare asked skeptically.

"They argued it might come back and deduced she was unfit for flying. It ruined her career. I tried to comfort her during the investigation, to be there for her. I know she appreciated it but claimed it was time for her to accept the verdict and move on. Last I heard she moved to Sydney," Kate explained.

OOOOOO

Nick cursed under his breath as he cut his finger on a piece of steel and grimaced. He gingerly reached up with his finger to his mouth.

"Hi!" Annie hollered as she walked into the garage.

"Hi," he returned, although not as enthusiastically.

"I was wondering if we could go out for a ride in the weekend?" she asked as she walked up to him.

He removed his finger from his lips and studied it for a moment. "Maybe," he replied distractedly with a coppery taste in his mouth.

Annie gently took hold of the finger and had a look at it. "You'll need a plaster," she deduced and moved over to the small office to get one.

"Why only maybe?" she asked as she returned a moment later.

"Because I've got a hundred things to do," he whined. "I never thought I'd be taking care of this place every day. Emma wanted me to come and help, not take over it."

"What is there to complain about?" Annie asked mischievously as she leaned against the car Nick was working on. "You know what to do, you can plan your own time and get paid for it."

"I have other obligations you know," he let on cryptically. "And I wanted to go and see dad at the hospital. I have been talking to him a lot on the phone but it's not the same thing."

"Your dad had a brain tumor?" Annie stated.

Nick nodded. "He made it through the operation. I want to be there for him," he confessed.

"So," Annie began curiously. "What was Emma like? I heard she was a real beauty. Queen of the outback and all."

He nodded and brightened, grateful for the change of subject. "There is no need to be jealous, Annie," he cautioned lightly.

"Who said I was?" she asked casually.

"She married the doc's former pilot, Sam Patterson," he explained and then added with a smirk; "to every man's despair."

Annie laughed. "I heard at the nurse's quarters that he was quite dashing," she let on slyly and then added innocently; to every poor woman's despair."

Nick grinned and shook his head.

"A shame they can't come back. Especially now that Gerry has been injured," Annie added.

"Sam and Emma left for a lot of reasons. They pushed themselves too hard. I mean, Emma had the garage and Sam had his permanency at the RFDS as their regular pilot but it wasn't enough for them. They decided to buy and old dilapidated farm and then they bought livestock, thinking they'd manage everything on their own and keep their regular jobs," he explained.

Annie gave a low whistle. "What happened to them?" she asked.

"They are in Sydney," Nick answered. "Sam is working as an airline pilot while Emma is currently working on some new garage project. I know they bought a flat over there but they never seem to be home. At least no one answers the phone when I call."

Annie sighed. "Well, Emma must think highly of you since she let you run this place on your own," she suggested.

Nick nodded absentmindedly. "How's Gerry by the way?" he asked.

"All things considered I'd say he'd doing great," she said with a smile. "Although his sister have caused quite a stir with the locals."

"I haven't seen her," Nick said with a shrug. "But I hear she's a real beauty."

"Yeah, cold and arrogant too," Annie let on, not the least amused.

OOOOOO

"Good morning, Gerry," David said jovially as he walked into the cubicle.

The pilot huffed. "Is it?" he asked bitterly.

David made a face. "Well, you sound much better," he let on with a smirk.

Realizing he was taking out his frustrations on his poor colleague Gerry closed his eyes briefly and sighed. "I'm sorry," he said sheepishly.

The doctor waved lazily at him. "Forget it," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know what you have me dosed up on but it's certainly taken the edge of the pain," he volunteered softly.

David frowned and turned to study the chart before him and gave a cunning smile. "A cocktail of fancy words," he let on. "I'm glad you're still with us."

"Well don't remind me of the experience, it wasn't funny," the pilot replied weakly and then added in frustration. "I feel drained, how long is it going to be like this?"

"It's normal, Gerry, for someone who's knocked on death's door," David assured him.

The pilot sighed in frustration and then exhaled deeply, instantly regretting the action as it pulled on the stitches. "Great, I can't even breathe," he muttered in a subdued voice.

David shook his head and chuckled slightly. "It'll pass," he assured him. "Tom will be with you in a couple of hours and have a look at your side."

"Thanks," the pilot drawled sarcastically. "I'm looking forward to it."

OOOOOO

Gina watched the doctor leave her brother's room and then briskly closed the distance and let herself in. She fixed him with a serious stare. "We need to talk," she said.

"What is there to talk about?" Gerry mused wearily as he felt the beginning of a headache.

His kid sister walked up to him and smartly sat down at his bedside. "First of all. I'm sorry for shouting at you yesterday. It's just that I was on edge and I took it all out on you. Ever since I got that call from Doctor Callaghan I-"

Gerry held up his hand to stall her. "Wait a minute," he said and grinded his teeth as he tried to shift into a better position.

"Should you be doing that?" Gina asked as she eyed him in concern.

He ignored her comment and fixed her with a glare. "Did Tom call you here?" he asked skeptically.

Gina nodded. "And I'm grateful for it," she returned. "Apparently you still have me down as your next of kin."

He gave her wicked grin but said nothing.

"I don't understand why though," she pointed out slyly. "As I recall you weren't going to die."

He chuckled as he remembered what he'd told her so many years ago at his graduation. "No," he returned with a half-smirk.

Gina gently squeezed his shoulder. "I've missed you," she said truthfully. "I tried to find you. I wanted to apologize."

"You told me you never wanted to see me again," he mused with despondency. "It broke my heart actually."

"You can't make me feel anymore remorse," she returned melancholically yet with a playful tease in her voice that he recognized from when they were children.

"It's good to have you back, little sister," he said finally as he broke into a grin. "I was afraid I'd not gotten you there in time."

She sighed wearily. "It was quite a journey, hard and treacherous, so horrible I hope I'll never have to go through anything like it ever again, but it worked," she said.

"What have you been up to?" he asked curiously. "I never heard anything from the company."

Gina chuckled nervously as she intertwined her fingers with her brother's. "I've had enough of pharmaceutical environments and drugs don't you think?" she asked him sarcastically.

He shrugged casually.

"I managed to get a job as a saleswoman in Canberra," she let on cryptically. "Where did you got to?"

Gerry looked at her but he seemed distant. "I was flying freight planes across the country for a while. I got bored and took the role as first officer at a small regular airline."

Gina smirked, knowing her brother. "Let me guess, it didn't prove enough of a challenge for you?" she teased softly.

His eyes sparkled as he focused on her. "Something like that," he let on. Then mum got seriously ill so I returned back home."

Gina averted her eyes at the mention of their mother. "I'm sorry, Gerry," she said despondently. "I was ashamed. I couldn't face her."

"She would have liked to see you," he replied, his voice suddenly short.

Gina let out a quivering sigh. "I visited her grave," she said and then corrected herself. "Their grave."

"What are you doing here?" Annie said accusingly as she popped her head into the cubicle.

"It's all right, Annie," Gerry assured her.

"No it's not," the nurse said disapprovingly. "You need to rest."

Gina sighed and slowly rose from her position on her brother's bedside. "The nurse is right," she reasoned softly and turned to her brother with a twinkle in her eyes. "I'll be back later. You do look terrible by the way."

"Hey," he protested indignantly.

Gina chuckled and leaned in to place a soft kiss on his cheek. "Get well big brother," she said and then arrogantly passed the young nurse on her way out.

Annie forced herself to be calm and count to ten as she stared after the woman strolling down the ward and then plastered a smile on her face. "How are you doing?" she asked.

Gerry chuckled. "Don't let her get to you," he advised kindly with a charming smile.

This time Annie broke into a real smile. "Am I that obvious?" she asked in disbelief as she walked up to him and gently moved the bedspread aside.

He frowned and then looked at her with puppy eyes. "No poking," he begged her.

Her lips twitched slightly upwards as she eyed him.

"Great you're enjoying this," he let on ironically.

"Immensely," she replied sarcastically. "Do you want me to give you something for the pain?"

Gerry looked worried for a moment. "That depends on what you're planning on doing," he said hesitantly.

"She's not going to do much but I am," Tom offered lightly as he walked in.

The pilot paled considerably.

Tom looked at him amusedly. "Right, you haven't seen it," he deduced.

"I'm not so sure I want to," Gerry returned reluctantly.

"It's not so bad," the doctor assured him lightly. "I'm not going to open you up this time."

"Well, thank you for that picture," the pilot added, not the least amused.

Tom got serious as he nodded at Annie to remove the bandage. "You look tired, Gerry. Has the pain been keeping you awake?"

"It's not the pain that's been keeping him awake," Annie quipped. "It's his sister."

"Ouch!" the pilot moaned.

"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly.

"I haven't heard any shouts," Tom said diplomatically.

Gerry glanced up in the ceiling, afraid of seeing the wound. "No, we had a normal and adult conversation," he let on dryly and hissed as the nurse gently swiped the stitched operating wound clean.

"It's looking good, Gerry," Tom said cheerfully. "Why don't you have a look?"

"I'd rather not," the pilot whined.

Annie threw him an amused glance. "Wimp," she taunted playfully.

Tom laughed at his colleagues. "Stop the bickering the pair of you," he ordered lightly.

There was a slight twitch at the corner of the nurse's lips giving away her amusement as she gently redressed the wound. "You can look now flyboy," she told him.

He exhaled in relief as he let his eyes trail down his injured side.

"Now," Tom cautioned seriously and pointed a finger at his colleague's chest. "I want you to rest."

"What else is there to do in a hospital bed?" the pilot quipped.

"It seems the usual cockiness is back," Annie remarked as she finished the dressing.

"Good, I could do with some normalcy back here," Tom replied smugly.

"When can I get out of here?" Gerry asked miserably.

Tom came to a halt mid-step out of the cubicle and retraced his steps. "Mate, you've had major surgery a couple of days ago. Your body need time to recuperate. You can't just walk out of here."

The pilot suddenly got a very innocent look on his face.

"Don't even think about trying to get out of bed, Gerry, I mean it," the doctor cautioned seriously. "You'll be hauled back on your ass and then you would be drugged to your gills until you've reconsidered your actions."

The pilot let out a low whistle. "Since you put it so bluntly I might stay put for another day or so," he murmured.

"Good," Tom drawled and then glanced from Annie to Gerry and back again before adding with a smirk; "Flyboy."

The look on Gerry's face was priceless as he eyed the seasoned doctor in disbelief. "Get out so I can have some peace and quiet," he returned with a twinkle in his eyes.

Annie quickly followed the doctor out of the cubicle and blinked at him.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten – Old Times**

Clare politely ended the phone call and got out of the radio room. She briskly walked over to Geoff's office and knocked gently on the doorframe.

The clinical department head glanced up from a bunch of paperwork with a frown. Seeing Clare the corners of his mouth twisted into an upward curl. "Come in," he said.

"I thought you'd like to know that our colleagues in Point Cook are sending us a relief pilot," she said with a smirk.

"That's wonderful news, Clare," he replied and searched the desk for the current flight schedule. "When can he get here?"

Silence settled over the room for a moment.

"She?" Geoff asked carefully as he saw the slightly disapproving look on the radio operator's face.

"No, no," she assured him softly. "It's a man. It's just that they seemed relieved to get rid of him. I got the impression that the sooner the better."

Geoff sighed and sank back in his office chair. "That sounds very promising," he said.

OOOOOO

David stepped out of the hospital, took a deep breath and exhaled the air slowly. He gently tilted his head back and forth from left to right to work on his strained neck muscles. He was tired, the last couple of days had taken its toll on him. He stifled a yawn and threw a hasty look on his wristwatch only to notice it wasn't even noon yet. David sighed and walked around the corner of the building.

Gina O'Neill sat on the low railing next to the main street. She had her eyes closed and her face tilted upwards toward the beating sun.

David shook his head amusedly at her as he casually closed the small distance. "Trying to get a sun stroke?" he asked.

She crinkled her nose and broke into a dazzling grin as she heard his voice but she kept facing the sun with her eyes closed. "Trying to get a tan more likely," she answered.

"You do know there's a risk of getting melanoma-"

She turned to look at him and smirked. "Please, David. You don't have to be one with your profession all the time," she said sarcastically.

"So, tell me. What does a woman like you do here, except trying to get a tan?" he replied.

"I was going to visit my brother but they didn't let me in," she informed bitterly.

David frowned.

"It was some nurse, young and blonde," she simply added with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I heard you'd already been to see him earlier," David let on carefully.

Gina chuckled dryly. "I hear word travels fast around here," she remarked. "If you must know, we have a lot to talk about."

David said nothing as he walked over to sit next to her. "You know," he advised kindly. "You don't have to pretend everything is fine, like you don't have a care in the world."

Curiously she turned to him.

"Your attitude toward Annie, for example, isn't exactly helping your case," he explained. "Then there is the fact that your brother needs to rest in order to recuperate."

"Stop sugarcoating it, David," Gina replied unamused. "Tell me I am bitch if that's what you think."

He chuckled in mild surprise, unsure of what else to do.

"You have no idea what I've been through-"

"Why don't you tell me then," he suggested.

It was her time to chuckle. "No, I'm not ready for that," she said seriously and turned away to gaze at the horizon. "Leave me alone, David."

"So you can sit here and feel sorry for yourself?" he guessed.

She whipped her head around in disbelief but said nothing at his statement, although her actions spoke for themselves.

"I'm here if you want someone to talk to," he suggested.

"Why are you so nice to me, David?" she managed sheepishly. "You don't know me."

"I guess it's in my nature to heal people one way or another," he said with a cunning smile. "Anyway, dinner is being served in an hour. Come back after that and see your brother."

The dazzling smile she'd given him when she'd first arrived returned. "Thanks David," she said truthfully.

OOOOOO

Jack Carruthers walked into the pub and nodded toward Tom who was standing at the counter, having a conversation with Vic.

"Good day, everyone," the police sergeant greeted.

"Jack," Nancy exclaimed happily. "It's so good to have you back. We expected you several days ago."

He shook his head. "That bloody conference about crime prevention never seemed to end. I was caught up in Broken Hill longer than I expected," he said dourly and nodded at Vic. "A pint would be nice."

"Sure, coming right up," the bar owner reassured him. "It's on the house, mate."

"I heard there was an accident over at the Maple Hodges," Jack enquired curiously.

Tom pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure at the mention of it but nodded faintly. "You could say that. Some kids went through the rotten floor of the hayloft, Gerry and Jeremy happened to be beneath it when it happened."

Jack shook his head sadly. "How's Gerry?" he asked.

Tom sighed. "He's getting better but he's got a long journey ahead of him. It'll take some time," he said. "I'm sure you've already heard the Maple Hodges buried Jeremy back at their place."

"Yeah," Jack said and hastily drank half the beer before nodding toward the exit.

Tom followed him outside, wondering what was on his mind.

Jack seemed unsure of how to begin. He gazed toward the horizon and then started to walk toward his office. "I heard Chris has left," he managed stoically.

"Yeah," Tom replied with a heavy heart. "Her father's got cancer and refused to have treatment for it."

Jack snorted. "Bill, that stubborn old man," he mumbled. "It wasn't that long ago she had cancer herself you know. And she shares a very special bond with her father. I understand her reasons to go but I wished she could have waited so that I'd had a chance to say goodbye."

"She never said goodbye, Jack," Tom said dejectedly. "She rang the office and told Geoff she wasn't coming back. I've been thinking of all the things I wanted to say to her but never got around to."

Jack nodded at him. "You left for Africa, mate," he stated. "Pardon me for being blunt, Tom, but it broke her heart."

The doctor looked away for a moment. "I asked her to come with me," he said hollowly.

"She wasn't ready for that," Jack replied seriously. "She'd just made a life here."

Tom nodded and turned to the police officer with a sheepish smile on his face. "I know, Jack. I know."

OOOOOO

"Easy," Kate cautioned as she gently helped her colleague and friend into a sitting position.

Gerry gritted his teeth and reached up with his hand to wipe the perspiration away from his forehead.

"You don't have to do it," Kate said softly.

He looked at her resolutely. "Yes, I do," he returned in a steely voice.

"When he's set his mind on something there's no stopping him," a soft familiar voice filtered into the room.

Gerry looked up to see his kid sister standing in the doorway to his cubicle with a bunch of flowers in her hand.

"Is that for the burial rite?" he asked sarcastically.

Gina narrowed her eyes at him and made a face. "I've missed you, wise guy," she returned smartly and then turned to Kate. "Let me get those into some water and then I'll help you."

The nurse looked mildly surprised. "No, that's not necessary," she said.

Gina threw the flowers at the end of her brother's bed and gently moved over to help him into the wheelchair. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. I was out of line," she said seriously.

Kate shrugged casually. "You were worried," she reasoned.

Gina sighed. "It's a long story, perhaps it's time for us to share it with you," she suggested and eyed her brother carefully.

Settled in the wheelchair he'd paled considerably as the move had taken its toll on him but he nodded at her, giving her his approval.

Kate looked at the siblings for a moment silently wondering what they wanted to share but then quickly dismissed it and returned focus on her patient and colleague. "Gerry, are you okay?" she asked softly.

He swallowed and tilted his head upwards to look at her. "I've been better," he admitted.

"We could get you settled back into bed if you want," she offered kindly.

"No way," he assured her with a ghost of a smile.

Gina laughed and crinkled her nose as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's the spirit," she encouraged. "Now, where do you want to go?"

Gerry carefully glanced at Kate. "Could we go out?" he asked hopefully. "I haven't seen the sun for almost a week, or felt the wind in my hair."

Kate gave in to his pouting and nodded at Gina to drive him. "Only for a short while," she cautioned. "No sudden moves and the minute you're in pain or feel unwell you'll tell me, that's the deal," Kate said seriously.

"I never realized you where that bossy," he murmured lightly.

"Well," Geoff said as he met them in the corridor. "It's nice to see you up, Gerry."

The pilot grimaced. "It's good to finally be able to be up," he admitted.

"I know it's no consolation for you but recovery takes time," the doctor said kindly. "Especially after what you've been through."

"You're right," he returned wearily. "That's no consolation."

OOOOOO

Kate curiously popped her head into Chris's old office and found Tom rummaging through the file cabinet. She smiled mischievously and walked into the room. "Trying to find her secrets?" she asked.

Tom frowned and then shook his head. "I'm trying to find Maggie Davies patient records," he admitted. "But I'm not having much luck."

"Maggie Davies," Kate mused. "Wasn't she your patient?"

The doctor nodded. "Chris took her case when I left for Africa," he let on. "I'm actually surprised the woman is still alive. She was poorly several years ago."

"I might have no right to ask you this, Tom," Kate began softly. "But why did you leave?"

He glanced over his shoulder at her and then withdrew a file from the cabinet. "I needed a change," he said simply.

"But you had everything," Kate reasoned. "You ran this base, patients adored you and Chris-" she trailed off and bit her lower lip.

"She got over me," he said.

"No, I don't think so," Kate let on. "Your departure hurt her more than you know. I saw her every day. She waited for you to call or at least send a postcard but you just disappeared."

Tom sighed as he sat down behind Chris's old desk and turned to face the nurse. "It wasn't easy to leave her behind," he said. "But I felt a call. I needed to help where I was needed."

"You were needed here," Kate said.

"Every day was the same here, Kate. A broken leg, a twisted arm, a few bruises-" he let the sentence hang in the air unfinished.

"I disagree," Kate argued. "A lot of things has happened here. "We've lost people, gained people-"

"In Africa not a single day went by without losing someone," Tom quipped.

"They weren't your friends," Kate pointed out.

"No, but they were my patients and I didn't save them," he returned, his voice suddenly cold and hard.

"Tough," Kate said unimpressed. "Every doctor loses patients occasionally, its part of the job."

They glared at each other for a moment, tensions running high in the room.

"What do you want to hear, Kate?" Tom finally managed. "That I loved Chris and was foolish to go away?"

She ignored his remark.

"I think I've always loved Chris," he said in a subdued voice and averted his eyes. "Like you said, I was living my dream. I had everything but it wasn't enough. I needed Africa to wake up and I got more than I bargained for. It changed me, it hurt me to see the despair in their eyes not being able to save them. Their cries haunt me at nights at times even though it's been almost a year since I returned to Australia. I swore I never wanted to see another patient again."

Kate shook her head and smiled at him. "So you decided to apply for a job as a ranch hand?" she asked amusedly.

He shrugged. "Something like that," he admitted with a twinkle in his eyes. "It obviously didn't suit me and against my better judgement I ended up back here."

"Do you regret that?" she enquired carefully.

He laughed. "No," he answered truthfully.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven – The Hard Truth**

Clare glanced up from the news magazine and removed her reading glasses as the door to the base suddenly opened. She turned around just in time to see Geoff briskly walk past the duty room and into his office followed by a tired nurse carrying three bags of equipment.

The radio operator frowned and went over to Annie to help her with the gear. "Did you find Captain Potts?" she asked curiously.

Annie nodded sullenly. "We found him," she let on cryptically. "I wish we'd lost him too."

Before Clare could ask what she meant a tall and lean man in an impeccable flight uniform walked in and gave her a dazzling smile. He curtly tipped his dress cap and nodded toward her. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am. Captain Jeremiah Potts to your service," he said by way of introduction.

Annie grimaced behind his back.

Clare sheepishly returned the smile and reached out to shake his outstretched hand. "Well, welcome to Cooper's Crossing," she said.

"Thank you," he said and nodded toward the empty desks in the duty room. "Would it be okay if I sit down, log my flight and go through the schedule for the rest of the week?"

"Of course, that's normal procedure round here," Clare said with a tight smile remembering the stern voice on the phone. "You could ask me about scheduled activities and I'll show you where to find everything you might need around here."

He nodded in appreciation. "In that case, you'd better show me to the coffee pot first," he let on with a smirk.

Annie rolled her eyes and excused herself.

OOOOOO

Gerry took a deep breath of the fresh air and enjoyed the wind tousling his hair. He was sitting in the small garden next to the hospital with his sister.

She studied him as he closed his eyes, saw the faint lines of pain around his eyes and the tightness of the jaw muscles, the way he was holding himself. It unsettled her to see him injured, he had always been the strong one, the positive one, the one close to a laugh. They'd been tight growing up and shared a special bond. It had been Gina who'd severed that bond or at least weakened it considerably. She just hoped she could make it right between them again.

"You are in pain," she said with concern. "Shall I get the nurse?"

"No," he whispered as he opened his eyes and turned toward her. "I'm fine, Gina."

She suddenly chuckled nervously and fixed her eyes on her twiddling thumbs. "I don't know where to start," she offered.

"From the beginning preferably," he suggested wearily.

"I don't think I ever really got past dad's death," she said truthfully. "That crash over at the airfield plunged my life into chaos."

Gerry snorted. "Don't you think it took a toll on the rest of us too?" he wondered aloud. "I was there remember. I even promised to fly with him that particular day but I was too late from work so he took up the sports plane on his own. If only I had been there."

"Stop that Gerry, please," Gina begged darkly. "Dad flew sports planes long before you even began your studies to become a pilot. He was overworked, stressed out and suffered a stroke. The company killed him."

"If I had been there I could have landed the aircraft," he reasoned despondently.

"What if you'd been killed too?" she challenged angrily.

He sighed in frustration and reached up to rub his forehead.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the pair.

Gina crinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes at the setting sun. "I looked up to him too," she finally managed. "I wanted to be like him, the president of a large company."

"He was the one who awoke my interest in flying," Gerry admitted.

"And he was very proud of you," Gina reasoned. "I was a problem child."

Gerry made a face. "That's nonsense. He swelled with pride every time you came home and had finished a good deal for him. He secretly told me you were the perfect saleswoman."

She raised an impeccable eyebrow at him.

"I'm serious," he assured her warmly.

"I can still remember when the police officers knocked on our door," she mused. "How mum collapsed, the look on your ashen face as you came home that night, your haunted eyes."

"I saw him crash, Gina, I saw his burned body, the blood splatter. I've never liked seeing blood after that."

"The board called to a meeting the day after. They wanted to discuss the future of the company," Gina said with her eyes fixed on a spot on the beautiful horizon. "That's when I finally realized dad would never come back. Mum was never the same after that and my world turned upside down," she explained hollowly.

He turned toward her, their eyes met in sorrow and despair.

Gina swallowed. "It started gradually," she let on sheepishly. "My addiction."

Gerry waited for her to continue.

"At first I thought I could stop whenever I wanted to. I was ashamed so I hid it for you. Or at least I thought I did. The newspapers kept giving dad's tragic death headlines and pulled him in the dirt. The company was experiencing bad times and the stocks were falling. The pills made me live through the day. When you left on an extended posting across the country I started drinking. Mum didn't seem to care anymore. I closed several deals by sleeping with the right people," she finally admitted.

Gerry buried his head in the palms of his hands.

"I turned into a zombie. I didn't feel anything anymore. When you got back and tried to drag me out of my new comfort zone I revolted," she explained sadly. "You saved my life, Gerry."

He looked at her kindly as a faint warm smile creased his lips.

"And I repaid you by being an ungrateful brat," Gina added bitterly.

"I was afraid I'd lost you. That I was too late," he explained.

"I know what I said to you," Gina let on and swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "I never meant any of it. I never meant to hurt you. I love you big brother. I always have. Those words will haunt me for the rest of my life. I hope you can forgive me."

"Come here," he whispered, a tear threatening to spring from his eye.

Gina said nothing as she moved over to him and gently hugged him.

Unknown to them Kate Standish watched from the hospital corridor, a big grin on her face.

"Kate?" Geoff asked curiously as he walked over to her and gazed out the window to see their pilot and his kid sister locked in warm embrace.

"I think they've settled their differences," she offered smugly.

"It don't like that he's still out, Kate," Geoff said seriously. "It's a bit cold and he's far from fine."

"I was waiting for the right moment," she explained slightly annoyed at his tactfulness.

Geoff nodded and headed out. Kate sighed and quickly fell into steps with him.

"I'm sorry but the visiting hours are long over," Geoff apologized as he neared the pair.

Gina broke the hug and gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks while Gerry looked away.

"Miss O'Neill," Geoff said politely. "I'm Doctor Standish, it's a pleasure to meet you."

She gave him a low chuckle. "I don't think your colleagues would agree with you. Please, apologize to them from me for being such a pain in the ass," she said and gently squeezed her brother's shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Geoff and Kate watched her walk away, her high heels dangling from her hand and her long brown hair tousling in the light breeze.

Geoff harrumphed and then cheerfully moved over to their common colleague. "Time to tuck you in, Gerry."

The pilot looked bewildered for a moment before his lips twitched slightly upward and his eyes twinkled softly. "Yes, dad," he returned amusedly.

OOOOOO

Tom Callaghan pulled up next to hangar at the Cooper's Crossing Airfield. He glanced around the immediate area in search of the infamous relief pilot and smirked as he spotted an older, slim man seemingly in his fifties with greying hair. The pilot stood ramrod straight in his impeccable uniform with a jacket draped over his arm and the leather satchel containing his flight log and various other stuff in the other hand. He seemed engrossed in a subdued conversation with a mechanic and nodded at the Nomad behind them.

Tom brought his medical bag from the car and walked up to them. "Captain Potts?" he guessed.

The pilot turned toward him as if sizing him up and then gave a curt nod. "Yes," he said.

"Doctor Callaghan, RFDS," Tom introduced himself in a friendly manner. "Look, I'd tried to get in contact with you over the radio earlier but I didn't manage to get a hold of you."

"Has there been an emergency?" The pilot enquired.

Tom shook his head. "No, no," he assured him. "I'd like to go and see Maggie Davies, she didn't turn up at the clinic two days ago and I've had some results back that I wanted to discuss with her."

"I'm sorry," Potts returned simply. "I've done my hours for the day and the aircraft is fueled up and ready to be taken into the hangar. If you want to see this woman you're talking about I suggest you take the car."

"Just because it isn't an emergency at the moment there is no telling it won't develop into one," Tom argued, not liking to be dismissed so easily by the man opposite him.

Potts eyed him. "Let me ask you a question," he said casually. "Didn't you know when to receive the test results?"

"I knew they'd come sometime today," Tom answered.

"Did you expect them to be negative?" Potts pushed dryly.

"I had a feeling it might be a negative result," the doctor confessed.

"Still you come out here unannounced and think I'd be prepared to take you there without any notice?" the pilot asked. "There are two ways to do things, Doctor Callaghan. Either there is an emergency and I'll be forced to fly to given location or you'll log a flight on the schedule at very least the same morning as it should take place and I'll handle it from there. As it is, you've not called it an emergency and you've not scheduled a flight."

Tom watched astonished as the pilot turned on his heels to leave. "Do you have something better to do?" the doctor hollered after him.

"As the matter of fact I do," the old and arrogant pilot returned and jumped into a car.

The mechanic snorted and shook his head. "Good luck with him, mate," he said. "For everyone's sake I hope Gerry would be back soon."

OOOOOO

Nancy stiffened as Gina O'Neill walked through the door to the pub and stared dumbfounded after her as she passed the counter and acknowledged her with a smile before walking upstairs.

"See, Nance, what did I tell you?" Vic said cheerfully. "What did I tell you? She just needed some time."

Nancy huffed. "She's got to eat something. I better go after her and ask what she wants," she reasoned.

Look, Nance. I know you have a thing for Gerry. The way you act around him one might think he's your son or something," Vic complained. "If it bothers you that his sister isn't talking to you at length maybe you should consider that she doesn't know you. In fact she doesn't know anyone here except her brother who's hospitalized. Then there is the fact that the siblings doesn't seem to see eye to eye on things. This is taking its toll on her."

Nancy sighed and looked at her husband in mild surprise. "I didn't know you were so deep and sensitive, Vic Buckley," she admitted. "A shame you don't show more of that side."

Vic huffed and rolled his eyes in annoyance as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hi, Vic," Jack greeted as he sat down next to the counter.

"Women," Vic muttered sourly. "When you think you know how they works-"

The police officer raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Don't expect any tip from me mate. I can't even understand a feline cat."

OOOOOO

To be continued


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve – One for the Team**

Geoff walked into the office after having finished his rounds and retrieved a note with a number to head office in Sydney. He steeled himself for the conversation that was to come and sighed in frustration as he lifted the phone to his ear.

" _Richard More,"_ the deputy director said casually by way of greeting.

"Hello, Richard, it's Geoffrey Standish here from Cooper's Crossing," he said.

There was a slight chuckle at the other end of the line. _"Hi, Geoff. I've been wondering when to expect a call from you,"_ he said and caught the doctor completely off guard.

"Any special reason?" Geoff enquired carefully.

" _I hear you got stuck with Captain Potts,"_ the deputy director filled in. _"I saw the transfer papers from Point Cook a few days ago when I was on location."_

"I see," Geoff mused as he sat down behind his desk. "Look, I'll go straight to the point. This is a small office where everyone is depending on each other and frankly, Captain Potts doesn't fit in."

" _I'll have to hand it to you, Geoff. That answer is much more diplomatic than the evaluation given by the clinical department head of Point Cook,"_ the Deputy Director let on amusedly.

Silence settled over the line for a moment before the man from the head office spoke up again. _"A terrible thing that happened to Captain O'Neill,"_ he said regrettably. _"Will he be all right?"_

"Yes, but it was a close call," the doctor admitted carefully. "However, his recuperation will take quite some time and we'd like you to send us someone who's a little easier to deal with than Captain Potts."

" _We have always strived to supply our bases with exceptional pilots, Geoff and Jeremiah Potts is no exception,"_ he said seriously. _"He's done tours for a large airline company and travelled across the Atlantic Ocean."_

"Yes, he might be an excellent pilot when it comes to handling jumbo jets and land on smooth airstrips with the aid of a guiding system but that's not how it works out here and you know that," Geoff reasoned.

" _Please, Geoff,"_ Richard began wearily. _"First you demand a relief pilot to be on standby at your base in twenty-four hours, then when we finally manages to get one for you he's not good enough even though the papers-"_

"Forget the qualifications," Geoff interrupted. "It's not about that. It's just that he doesn't help out, he doesn't do anything to make anything easier, he' arrogant-"

" _Can't he fly the aircraft?"_ Richard interrupted.

"Well, yes he can," the doctor admitted. "He seem to be handling it fine."

" _Then I'm sorry, Geoff but I don't see the problem. Strictly speaking we hire our pilots to fly the aircrafts and you're to do the rest and take care of the patients and equipment. Have you considered that maybe you need to put some effort in integrating him in the team?"_

Geoff sighed as he leaned back in his chair and raked a hand through his hair. "Thanks, Richard. I see there is no point in discussing it further," he said.

" _I'm afraid you've been spoiled with exceptional staff, Geoff,"_ Richard reasoned kindly. _"I'm sorry I can't help you. Tell Captain O'Neill I wish him a speedy recovery."_

OOOOOO

Tom halted in mid-step as he caught sight of a gowned man and an IV pole in his periphery vision. He retraced the last few steps and worriedly threw the folder in his hand on the nurse's station before he quickly ran up to the pilot.

"Gerry," he said and then hastily hollered over his shoulder. "Annie! I need a wheelchair, now!"

"What are you think you're doing?" he admonished.

"Trying to get back to normal," his colleague wheezed.

Tom worriedly cast a glance down the gown. "You haven't pulled any stitches have you?"

Annie quickly rushed up to them and positioned the chair behind the pilot while Tom gently forced him to sit down in it.

Gerry panted slightly from the exertion but wisely kept quiet as the doctor began to wheel him back to the ward.

"That was a dumb thing to do," Tom said angrily as he wheeled past the cubicle and out in the corridor. "You are still weak. You can't do things on your own yet, Gerry. You have to accept that."

The pilot rolled his eyes sullenly. "I wish you'd stop fuzzing over me," he mumbled.

The doctor continued to walk until they neared the doors to the main entrance. Without a word they passed them and then took a turn for the leeway to the base.

Clare beamed happily as they entered and then frowned at the angry look on the Tom's face and the stricken look on Gerry's.

"Hey, look who's here!" Kate shouted jovially as she walked out from Geoff's office.

"I need someone to guard this escapee for a while," Tom let on with a smirk.

"Has he been a bad patient?" Geoff asked as he followed Kate out of the room.

"Can I get you anything?" Clare asked kindly.

"Coffee," Gerry replied with charming smile.

Tom harrumphed and pointed a finger at him and then nodded at the radio operator. "He can have water," he informed before turning on his heels and slipped out the door.

Gerry sighed and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again he had three colleagues hovering over him. "Why can't you all just pretend everything is normal?" he whined.

Geoff looked smug for a moment and went to retrieve a map which he spread out over the desk next to where Tom had parked the pilot's wheelchair. "If you'd take out a course for a clinic round with stops here-" he pointed at the map.

"Geoff," Kate protested. "Gerry is on leave."

"No, no he said he wanted normalcy," the doctor returned cunningly.

The pilot secretly enjoyed the moment as he reached for a pen and paper to do a quick calculation and draw some lines. Unaware of the careful scrutiny from his medically trained colleagues.

Satisfied with his work the pilot pointed at the chart and showed what conclusion he'd reached. "Why?" he asked curiously.

Geoff narrowed his eyes at him and looked thoughtful for a moment as if deciding what to say. "Gerry, do you know anyone called Jeremiah Potts?" he asked enigmatically.

The pilot snorted. "Yes, I've had the unfortunate luck of meeting him once in Point Cook," he answered. "We didn't see eye to eye on certain things."

Kate chuckled softly as she handed Gerry a glass of water and patted him on the shoulder. "He's here. He flew Geoff and Annie on a clinic round yesterday," she explained, looking rather amused. "They didn't see eye to eye on certain things either."

"The man is an arrogant dictator," Geoff said forcefully.

Gerry began to laugh but stopped short as it pulled on his stitches.

"It wasn't supposed to be funny, Gerry," Geoff added sourly.

"No," the pilot whispered.

"I mean, what's his story anyway?" the doctor mused.

"Take no notice of him," Kate said slyly and nodded at her husband. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"Have you seen my flight bag?" he asked.

Clare walked over to him with the black bag containing his flight log and some other things. "I've had it with me," she said happily as she put in the desk and opened it for him. "Tell me what you want and I'll take it out for you."

"No need," he assured her confidently. "I think I can handle-"

Clare looked at him sternly. "What do you want?" she repeated.

He sighed in frustration. "My logbook. I was hindered from filing that last part the other week," he replied sarcastically.

"Which part of 'you're on medical leave' did you not understand?" Geoff piped up from behind him.

"Please, Geoff. I'm going crazy staring at the ceiling back at the hospital. It's bad for my mental health," he said cheekily.

Clare shook her head and laughed at him as she returned to her station and picked up the ringing phone. "Royal Flying Doctor Service, Cooper's Crossing, how can I help you?"

Her mood darkened suddenly and she covered the mouthpiece while turning toward Kate and Geoff who still stood next to Gerry.

"Kate?" she said softly. "You're wanted at the airfield as soon as possible. Apparently the pilot is anxious to get going."

"Right," the nurse said with a sigh. "I switched with Annie for today's short clinic. Where is David anyway? I thought he would be picking me up?"

Clare shrugged casually. "I'll tell Potts you're on your way and call the hospital to find David," she suggested.

Kate suddenly brightened. "David can fly the plane if Gerry is sitting up front with him," she suggested wishfully.

Geoff chuckled. "Nice try, Kate. Off you go or you're going to feel the wrath of Captain Potts."

She quickly grabbed the prepacked bags on the desk and made to leave. "At least there's only one stop this time."

"Unless there's an emergency?" Geoff suggested lightly.

"Please, Gerry, get well soon," she said and headed for the door.

The pilot turned to Geoff with a frown. "I know he's no charmer but he can't be that bad?" he mused skeptically.

"You didn't see eye to eye on certain things?" Geoff reminded him.

Gerry nodded. "True," he admitted.

"I'll arrange a meeting between the two of you," the doctor returned simply as he grabbed the handles on his colleague's wheelchair. "Come on, you're supposed to be in bed."

"Come on, doc," the pilot whined. "Give me thirty minutes at least."

Geoff pointed at himself. "Doctor," he said patiently and then pointed at Gerry. "Pilot," he added.

"Colleague," Gerry suggested hopefully.

"Patient," Geoff finished and released the brakes to wheel him back to the hospital.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen – Psychology Classes**

Gina O'Neill crinkled her nose and shaded her eyes from the sun with her hand as she walked out of the pub. Cooper's Crossing had seemed to be a sleeping town on the outside but the more she heard and the more she saw she realized that there was more going on that met the eye. The townspeople were kind and grateful for what they had. It wasn't like in the city where everyone just took everything for granted. People helped each other out here and took care of each other, they seemed so close despite the large distances. It was nice for a change as she was used to people befriending her with a secret agenda, carefully considering what they might gain from being her friend in the sales business. Out in the outback the people were genuine and she'd treated them arrogantly and sometimes dismissively, it was gnawing on her consciousness.

At first she hadn't been able to understand what her brother was doing in such a remote place but the longer she stayed the more she understood. She felt more relaxed than she'd been for years.

Gina smiled as she found David Ratcliffe sitting just outside the base on the low wooden fence. He seemed to be deep in thought. She shook her head amusedly and walked up to him. Without a word she carefully sat down next to him and followed his gaze across the street.

"What are we looking at?" she asked softly.

He turned to her, a wry, cautious smile on his face. "We are trying to solve a case," he let on.

She curiously tilted her head and waited for him to explain.

He hesitated for a moment. "Hypothetically there is this woman who appear charming and friendly at first sight but then, just as quickly, turns casual and uncaring. However, I believe that beneath that shell is a fragile soul that longs for friendship and understanding," he said.

Gina nodded and narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she eyed him. "I've taken those psychology classes too, David," she said. "The woman you're referring to has been at the bottom of the abyss, a place so dark and horrible that she vowed never to return."

David's eyebrows shot up in surprise at her revelation.

"I wanted to apologize for the other day," she finally let on as if she felt a necessity to explain her presence. "I was, as you said, busy with self-depreciation."

He shook his head in careful amusement at her confession.

"I was thinking that perhaps you'd let me buy you dinner?" she suggested.

"I'll gladly accept, Gina but it has to be straight away because I'm needed on a clinic run in one and a half hour."

"I'm glad you explained your eagerness," she teased lightly.

"Come on," he said gently and motioned for her to head for the Majestic Hotel. "Since you like to have a tan I suggest that we grab a bite at the backyard. Vic has a little dining area there."

"Sounds good," she agreed. "Tell me, is the bar owner's wife always so enquiring?"

David chuckled. "Nancy means well, Gina. She's sweet. I think she's perturbed by you and mildly disturbed at your silence," he said mischievously.

"You'd better explain that," Gina said.

"Nancy adores your brother to Vic's despair," he said jovially. "She does his cleaning and asks him what he thinks she should cook and so on. I think she wants you to share his past with her and befriend you as well."

Gina grinned. "My brother can be quite a charmer when he wants to," she filled in. "How was I to know?"

"Now that you do know, handle it with care," the doctor suggested kindly.

They walked around the back of the hotel and sat down at a table.

Gina sighed and leveled her eyes to look straight at David who sat opposite her, her brown eyes boring into his soul. "My brother and I didn't exactly part on happy terms several years ago," she let on. "I'm sure you already know bits and pieces."

He nodded.

"I'm the one to blame," she said. "The story is long and complicated and the scars are still raw."

"Take as long as you want," David suggested.

"When I was little I got everything I wanted, we both did. I suppose it was a way for dad to compensate us for all the times he wasn't around when we grew up. Yet I adored him and saw up to him, so did Gerry," she explained as she absentmindedly stared at a little dog that trailed happily next to Vic.

"Dad worked himself to death, it was all about appearances and prestige until the end. I've realized afterwards that he wasn't happy, just rich," Gina finally let on.

David gave her an astonished look but said nothing.

Gina chuckled as Vic tried to shush the dog away from him and then refocused her attention on the doctor opposite her.

"He let us in on the business but Gerry never really felt at home at the company's head office while I adored it. I became a saleswoman and set out to make dad happy but he never acknowledged me in such a way that I was satisfied. I thought that perhaps if I tried harder he would show some appreciation for what I was achieving for him. I won prizes and lived the high life but then dad died tragically in a flight accident and the man I'd worked so hard to impress wasn't there anymore. I had no one to prove myself too and plunged into a depression, then one thing led to another. In the end I lost myself. I became dependent on drugs and expensive vines."

David said nothing but fixed her with a look of concern.

"I had a fallout with my brother who was the only one who actually saw and understood what was going on. I tried to hide from him but he always found me and tried to force me to see things clearly. One day he practically grabbed me from my flat and put me in a home for detoxification. I spiraled down in my own private little hell and told my brother I never wanted to see him ever again," she finished as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"Now you know how it feels," David echoed, suddenly understanding Gerry's comment, something his colleague had not several days before.

"He must have been worried sick about me," Gina said in a subdued voice. "He saved my life by doing what he did and I repaid him by being ungrateful. When I finally realized how stupid I'd been I couldn't find him anywhere, he'd sold his flat and everything. When Doctor Callaghan called me I was overjoyed to finally find out where my brother was and terrified by the news he gave me."

"Gerry will be okay, Gina," David assured her softly. "He's responding well to treatment."

She sighed. "I know. It's just that he's the only one I have left and I don't want to lose him," she reasoned.

"Gina, listen to me. You are not going to lose your brother and Gerry needs you too, especially now," he told her kindly. "But he might need a little time to digest everything. I think you've learned the hard way that life isn't easy."

She laughed bitterly. "You could say that. Not even for a rich brat like me," she added with a twinkle in her eyes.

He chuckled and gently removed the napkin from his lap and excused himself. "I better leave and prepare a few things for the clinic round. Thanks, Gina."

"You're welcome," she replied.

OOOOOO

"You look troubled," Tom said in concern as he walked up to the pilot.

Gerry made a face. "Come to poke and prod me?" he asked sarcastically.

The doctor smirked. "Only just," he admitted and gently removed the bedspread covering his colleague's side.

The pilot sighed wearily but he didn't avert his eyes this time. "I never thought I'd be a patient here," he mused darkly as the doctor started to work.

Tom raised an impeccable eyebrow and offered him a wry smile. "I don't think anyone plans to become a patient, Gerry," he said. "You're not looking in another direction today?"

"No, I'm trying to face my fears," he admitted enigmatically and then added. "You know, lying cooped up like this, there's too much time to think."

Tom spared him a quick glance as he gently finished prodding the wound, having deduced that it was healing nicely and that the stitches were holding.

"Maybe my sister was right to ask me what I am actually doing here," he mused.

"You're doing important work here with us," Tom suggested. "And we'll do everything in our power to patch you up. We can't stand Potts."

Gerry's lips twitched upward. "Why, what's he done this time?" he asked curiously.

"I wanted him to fly out to Maggie Davies yesterday but he refused and claimed I had no right since I hadn't notified him about a presumptive flight."

Gerry nodded. "He's just following procedures. He needs to log everything. Besides he did a lot of flying yesterday as of what I can gather. He can't fly more than ten hours a day without declaring a mercy flight and-" the pilot trailed off and sighed wearily. "You get the idea. I think he was a union pilot and very active a few years back."

Tom huffed.

"Wait a minute," Gerry mused as he gently reached up with his hand to rub his forehead. "If I remember correctly David is to fly out to the Henderson's property today for a clinic round. Ask Potts to deviate a few degrees from the usual flight path and, voila, he happens to pass Maggie Davies on the way there."

Tom broke into a grin. "I owe you one, Gerry," he said in appreciation. "Like I said. You're doing important work here."

Gerry snorted. "Flying under gunpoint after meeting some lunatic with Typhoid, repairing faulty wires in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, delivering cargo, running shuttle service to Broken Hill with samples and patients, clearing runways with machete, landing on dirt roads, meeting crazy farmers with hayforks," he let on sarcastically but the undertone of his voice was tinged with amusement.

"Gerry, you're an important member of our team," Tom assured him softly.

"Is this life?" the pilot murmured.

"It's certainly not death," the doctor offered.

"I have been running from things," Gerry suddenly admitted cryptically. "Perhaps it's time to sort it out. Take care of business I've avoided."

Tom turned to study him for a moment but since he had no idea what the pilot was actually referring to he couldn't offer any good advice. Instead he gently pulled the bedspread back over the wound and left to prepare for the ride out to Maggie Davies.

OOOOOO

Nancy Buckley curiously walked up to the lone woman sitting in the shade of the parasol. "Didn't he like the food?" she asked a little dejectedly.

Gina smiled, a genuine smile this time that reached her eyes. "I'm sure he liked it Mrs. Buckley. He had to go away on a clinic round," she explained.

"You're probably right," she reasoned sweetly. "Please call me Nancy, dear."

"Why don't you sit down, Nancy?" Gina suggested kindly. "I understand you know my big brother quite well."

"Well, he's a charmer," she let on jovially. "But he's never told me where you grew up, honey, or that he had a sister for that matter."

"I think I can let you in on a few of our family secrets," Gina suggested amusedly.

OOOOOO

"We're approaching our first destination. Strap yourself in," Potts called over his shoulder as he went in low to make a landing.

Tom wasted no time as the aircraft came to a full stop, he quickly grabbed his medical bag and jumped out, closed the door after him and banged on it to indicate he was off.

The Nomad began to roll away from him within seconds and it didn't take long for the aircraft to turn around and line up for takeoff.

"Tom!" Maggie hollered cheerfully from behind as she drove up to him.

He smiled and shook his head at the woman in her early fifties. "Maggie, you're not overexerting yourself out here are you?" he asked as he jumped into the car.

"Nonsense," she returned casually as she pulled the old car into gear to head back to the house. "Ron is away to buy a new bull so I have a little more on my plate at the moment but it's nothing I can't handle or haven't done before."

Tom chuckled, admiring her strength. He'd seen other's in her situation who'd simply given in and prepared to die. Maggie had always been brittle and sensitive but she had taken no real notice of her condition.

"You've come all the way out here to talk about my latest tests, have you not?" she guessed. "I could have driven into town you know."

"It was no trouble," Tom lied. "We were passing by anyway."

"Still, I'm a little concerned by your presence," she added.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to have you worried. It's just that I've seen the test results and conferred with your specialist down in Sydney. We think it would be best if you were to come back with me to Crossing for a while to recuperate."

"Why?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"The tiredness, the inability to feel rested and so on. You should go down to Sydney again and have another check on the valve replacement just to be on the safe side. We'll have you resting a few days at the hospital and take some new samples first," he reasoned.

"But, Tom. I can't come with you now," she protested. "I have things to do."

"They will be here when you come back. I've been talking to George Baxter and he's agreed to lend you some ranch hands until Ron comes back," the doctor explained.

Maggie narrowed her eyes at him. "Cheeky bugger," she mumbled.

"Can you be packed and ready to go in a few hours then?" Tom asked hopefully.

"Right," she replied cunningly with her hands on her hips. "You give me a hand with the sheep and I'll try to be ready when the plane gets here."

"I'm a doctor, Maggie," Tom reasoned.

"You know, I've always believed in challenges, you can handle a few goats can't you?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

Tom laughed. "Yes, ma'am. Anything more you want me to do?"

"Yeah," Maggie said and studied him for a moment. "I want you to talk to Chris."

He opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off.

"I've never seen you this unhappy, Tom. She may have left hastily to take care of her dad but that's no reason for you not to talk to each other."

OOOOOO

To be continued

 _/My apologies for the wait and for any strange grammatical errors. I hope you like the story. I've always thought Gerry was an underdeveloped character that had a great potential. Please, feel free to leave comments if you have time._


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen – Reflections**

"You've got to do something Geoff," David insisted as he walked through the door to the base. "We need another pilot."

"I called in a relief pilot, we got one," Geoff returned in frustration. "On what grounds do I say we need another one?"

David threw out his hands in exasperation. "The man is not doing his job," he suggested.

"He is flying the plane isn't he?" the clinical department head returned.

"Yes but that-" David began to protest.

"He is coming on time, respond to calls, log everything that needs to be logged," Geoff interrupted him.

"He's an arrogant bastard," the younger doctor replied angrily.

Tom gave a low whistle as he entered the base from the hospital after installing Maggie Davies in a hospital bed.

"Captain Potts doesn't think it's in his job description to carry the stretcher or any of the medical bags. He doesn't assist in any way," David explained.

Geoff looked at Clare who only shrugged.

The only thing he actually does is flying the aircraft," Annie filled in.

Tom sighed. "Pilots. They're only causing trouble," he mused tiredly.

"Why, what's Gerry done?" Annie asked.

"He's-" Tom trailed off and shook his head. "Never mind. I think he's thinking of leaving us."

"What?" Kate asked as she walked around the corner from the radio room. "No, no and leave us high and dry with Potts?"

"One would think Potts, with all his experience, would be an excellent pilot," David complained. "But he's not able to fly the aircraft optimally. Both Sam and Gerry does it much better."

Kate sighed as she sat down heavily on the chair next to Clare. "I miss Sam and Emma," she said.

"Bottom line is," David argued. "We have to get rid of Potts and talk some sense into Gerry."

They all glanced in the direction of the door as it opened to reveal Father Jacko.

The priest took off his hat and the cheerful smile on his lips died away at seeing the unhappy faces before him. "Well," he began slowly. "I thought I was the one coming from a funeral."

The mood instantly got lighter in the room. Clare brightened as she turned to him and Kate chuckled.

"It's a little crazy around here," Geoff admitted wearily. "I'm sorry I missed you earlier. Did Brian get home all right?"

Jacko nodded. He'd been staying at the Maple Hodges and offered his services, not only as a priest but as a counselor. He'd been up for several nights and talked through the accident with various members of the family and their ranch hands. Jennie had been travelling back and forth from the farm and Crossing to visit the children, buy supplies and try to coordinate everything till the point that she'd gotten exhausted so Jacko had kindly offered to fly into town, pick up some groceries and take Brian and the remaining kid back with him in the aircraft as they were to be released from the hospital.

"He got home all right," the priest echoed and narrowed his eyes at the chief medical officer. "Of course he did. With my flying and my connections-" Jacko trailed off and tilted his head upwards as he theatrically threw out his hands in the air. "What could go wrong?"

David shook his head and sighed, remembering the landing he'd seen Jacko perform at Steve Patterson's place the year before.

"I gave him some advice, talked about the weather, and told him God forgives," he explained lightly. "I think the young bloke will be just fine."

"Thanks, Jacko," Kate said happily as she walked up to him and gently squeezed his shoulder. "You're just what the Maple Hodges' needed."

"I'm glad I was in the neighborhood," he let on. "How are you faring?"

Kate sighed and glanced at Tom who shrugged. "We're coping," she said truthfully. "Gerry is getting better for every day."

Jacko nodded. "Good. Would it be okay for me to see him?" he asked carefully.

"Why don't you wait until tomorrow?" Tom suggested. "He needs to rest and you need to go over to Vic and Nancy. They've been wondering when you were going to show up for days."

The priest glanced around the room. "Would any of you like to join me for some food?" he asked.

There was a chorus of yes and light laughter as they started to close down the office for the day.

OOOOOO

Tom Callaghan sighed as he sat down in the old and worn armchair situated in his single room over at the Majestic Hotel. Numb and tired after the long day he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the backrest. His thoughts whirled in his head and despite being tired he felt restless.

Maggie Davies, Kate, Geoff and Jack had, in more or less subtle ways, asked him about Chris. He found himself wondering about her too, how she was and what she was doing. He wanted to call her but he didn't know what to say. His thoughts went to Gerry and what he'd been through, how the pilot's life had seemed to seep through his fingers. Then, involuntarily, his mind traced back to Gibbo, his former colleague, roommate and friend and a sudden feeling of regret crept over him as he had never had a chance to say goodbye. He didn't want his friendship or romantic interest in Chris end in the same way. It was with sudden clarity that Tom realized that life wasn't waiting, life was happening now and could end at any second.

Tom reached into his wallet and fumbled with the scribbled note of the phone number and began to dial. He steeled himself, silently hoping she would pick up the phone. He sighed as nervousness washed over him.

" _Randall's residence,"_ a soft female voice answered.

Tom felt his mouth go dry. "Hello, Chris," he managed.

" _Tom,"_ she exclaimed in cheerful surprise. _"I wasn't expecting to hear from you anytime soon."_

"No," he mumbled sheepishly. "Look, I wanted to give you a call and see how you were doing."

Silence settled over the line for a moment but it wasn't awkward. His lips curled faintly upwards as he pictured her with a mischievous smile on her lips.

" _Dad's stubborn. I haven't been able to talk any sense into him,"_ she admitted, frustration seeping into her voice.

"So that's where it comes from," Tom stated lightly. "You can be pretty stubborn to."

Chris chuckled. _"It's a blessing and a curse at the same time as you know,"_ she replied.

He absentmindedly twiddled his fingers, his eyes focused on the worn picture of her sitting firmly in his lap that he kept on top of the drawer.

"Look, I never had the chance to say goodbye," he managed in a tight voice filed with mixed emotions.

" _I didn't want to say goodbye,"_ she explained quickly. _"It wasn't meant as goodbye, Tom."_

He felt his hope rise. "So you're planning on coming back?" he asked.

Chris let out a deep breath and sighed _. "No,"_ she whispered tiredly. _"At least not right away. Dad is special to me. I want to take care of him for whatever time he has left. Then I-"_ she trailed off, her voice got a rough edge with a brittle touch that he'd never heard before. _"I don't know, Tom. I need time on my own, time to sort out my feelings and time to find myself again."_

"I've never pictured you as a lost soul," he said lightly. "You've always known what you want. The toughest female doctor in the outback."

" _I don't know about that,"_ she let on.

"How are you holding up?" he asked bluntly.

" _What do you want me to answer? The only family I've left is terminally ill,"_ she replied in exasperation.

"Is there something I can do?" he said carefully.

" _No, I've got to sort this out on my own,"_ she reasoned softly. _"So, how's it going back there? Treated any twisted ankles?"_

Tom hesitated, not wanting to burden her with more bad news.

" _That many, huh?"_ she teased.

"We came within an inch of losing Gerry a little over a week ago," he said somberly.

" _No,"_ she whispered.

"It's all right, Chris. He is going to make a full recovery. It's just that when it hits so close to home it gets you thinking," he mused.

" _Yeah,"_ she said shortly and then added melancholically; _"You weren't there when we buried Dave. You moved away from me, he went to greater lengths and died to get away from me."_

"Chris," Tom began kindly.

" _I cried myself to sleep the night after. I've never felt so lonely in my entire life. But they say such things makes you stronger. I contemplated moving back to Sydney but Geoff and Kate convinced me to stay. Then DJ and Sam came along and together we made the best of teams,"_ she said. 

"When I first arrived to Africa I was excited and eager to go to work. I got through the first day fairly well but my mind kept coming back to the one person that I lost, not the ten I saved that day," Tom mulled dejectedly, his eyes glazing over as he thought back at the camp. "The next day began like the first. People kept coming, we ran out of supplies but this time we even ran out of water. I did everything I could but they kept dying, they looked at me, hoping for a miracle and I did too."

" _You're just a human, Tom. You can't save them all. I know it's hard to hear and even harder to accept but that is the only way if you want to move on,"_ she said in a subdued voice.

"I thought about you," he managed. "I had a picture of you in my tent."

Silence settled over the open line for a moment until Chris finally broke it.

" _I waited for you to call, to do something more than sending a few postcards occasionally. At times it seemed like you'd disappeared from the face of the earth,"_ she said with a tinge of bitterness in her voice. _"I kept thinking about you but in the end memories of even the good times fades to be replaced by new ones of other people and other places. Just when I finally thought I'd gotten over you, after beating my cancer, after returning to life and work, you accidentally ended up as my patient. To hear that you'd been so close for several months without telling me-"_ her voice quivered ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered regretfully. "I didn't expect you to still want to talk to me."

" _I fell for you a long time ago, Thomas Callaghan, and I fell hard,"_ she whispered softly.

"You awoke something in me that I didn't know how to handle," he admitted. "You still do."

" _It's never too late, Tom. It's just a very bad timing at the moment,"_ she confessed. _"I can't deal with that right now. I need to be alone."_

"I'll be here for you whenever you need someone to listen," he assured her kindly.

" _Thanks,"_ Chris said gratefully. _"Take care, Tom and say hello to the others for me."_

"I will," he promised.

OOOOOO

"Hi," Gina greeted cheerfully as she found her brother up and about in the corridor. She turned to Annie who was walking behind the pilot. "Should he be up?" she asked skeptically.

The young nurse nodded curtly, weary of the snobbish woman. "As long as someone is with him," she informed casually.

"You know, _he_ is standing here too," Gerry spoke up in mild annoyance.

Gina crinkled her nose mischievously at him and made a face before she turned serious and turned to Annie. "Look, I think an apology would be in order."

The nurse looked surprised, caught off guard by the statement. "No," she said and shook her head and broke into a dazzling smile. "It's okay."

"Well, I am sorry anyway," the tall, good-looking woman said. "I can be a bit difficult when anxious and tired."

"Have you hit your head or something?" Gerry teased lightly.

His kid sister slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Just grown up," she let on enigmatically and switched subject. "Maybe I should come back later?"

Annie shook her head. "There is no need. We were on our way back to bed anyway," she explained.

"Charming," the pilot murmured and grimaced as he turned too quickly.

Both women hovered near him instantly. "I'm fine," he assured them and then added; "One day I'm going to laugh at this."

"You're getting better for every day," Gina said cheerfully.

"That's the general idea," Gerry returned dryly.

Five minutes later he gingerly sank back into the pillow and closed his eyes in exhaustion while hurting all over the place.

"I'll leave you two alone," Annie said kindly.

"I'll leave when visiting hours are over," Gina assured her and watched with satisfaction as the nurse walked away.

"Why are you still here, Gina?" Gerry asked tiredly.

His sister turned to him in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm not a child. I don't need a babysitter," he replied in frustration.

"Stop pouting, Gerry. It doesn't suit you," Gina returned in tight voice.

When the pilot opened his eyes they were cold and hard. "Just go, Gina," he said sourly.

She hesitated for a moment and stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest and fixed him with a stare. "No."

Their eyes locked in a staring contest.

"You didn't leave me then and I won't leave you now," she said with finality.

"I don't need you here!" he exploded.

"I'm not leaving!" she returned, her tone of voice matching his. "I don't care if you want my help or not. You'll have it anyway."

An awkward silence settled over the room and Gina wondered how long it would take before the medical staff came around and ushered her out.

"You scared the hell out of me," Gina finally managed in a low and calm voice. "You are the only one that I have left. How do you think I felt when I got that call from Doctor Callaghan?"

"You told me," he muttered dourly.

"What's wrong with you anyway?" she yelled in frustration and then bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering. "You survived."

"What's going on here?" Tom Callaghan asked, looking from sister to brother and then back again.

Gina threw out her hands in exasperation and sighed while Gerry glanced out the window.

The doctor gently took the woman by her shoulders and led her out of the cubicle. "Come on," he whispered kindly.

Gina let out a quivering breath as they walked out in the corridor. "Why is he so-" she trailed off in frustration. "-ungrateful."

"Look," Tom reasoned. "He's been through quite an ordeal. It's a normal reaction to most people."

"I must have been such an ass," she whispered sadly, causing Tom to frown.

"Why don't you and I walk over to the pub and have something to eat?" the doctor suggested kindly. "I think you can use it."

Gina hesitated and sighed as if gathering courage to tell him something. "Six years ago," she began hollowly and swallowed. "Six years ago I was addicted to drugs and I was drinking. I'd lost faith in life and I'd stopped caring. My brother never gave up on me. He patiently waited for me one day, threw me in the car and checked me into a home. I was furious with him and told him to go away, that I never wanted to see him again," she explained as tears started to trickle down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Tom gently embraced her. She buried her head into his white coat and sobbed.

"It's okay," he whispered.

"I love my brother," she whispered. "I drove him away and when you called to tell me where he was I was overjoyed then when you told me he was injured and that there was a possibility that he would die I freaked out. I scrambled a few things in a bag and took the car. It turned late and I got desperate. I even got onto a plane," Gina trailed off and chuckled bitterly as she straightened to look him in the eye. "I'm terribly afraid of airplanes. They've always made me feel uneasy but when dad died in a plane crash-"

"It's okay, Gina," Tom repeated softly as he led her toward the entrance doors.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen – Restlessness**

Geoff sighed and leaned back in his chair in satisfaction as he'd completed the next few days' schedule. He spared a quick look at the wall mouthed watch and realized he was running late to the airport. He steeled himself for the dressing down he was going to get from the stern relief pilot and got out of the chair to grab his medical bag. He was on his way out to Verona and her newborn daughter. He'd kept in close contact with her and her oldest daughter on the radio just to make sure everything was fine. He'd hastily talked to the father of the newborn while he'd been in town to buy some groceries a few days back but he felt the need to see for himself that the baby and the mother was doing okay.

OOOOOO

Kate hastily drew the curtain to the side and fixed her colleague with a glare. "This is not the cheerful, slightly cocky pilot I remember," she said.

He averted his eyes and remained quiet.

"I saw your sister earlier," Kate told him. "She looked pretty upset."

"I never asked her to come," Gerry replied bitterly.

Kate walked up to him and sat down next to him, on the side of the bed. "Survivors guilt?" she asked kindly.

"Yes- No. I don't know, I'm just tired of this- " he answered distractedly. "She caught me in a bad moment."

Kate made to say something but Gerry wasn't finished. He turned to look at her.

"Two years ago I was called back home from a posting as a cargo pilot. My mother was terminally ill. It came as a shock, she'd kept it well hidden from me but still I should have been able to see something wasn't right. I was too busy with everything else," he explained wearily, his voice tinged with unspoken distress. "I tried to help her, did the best I could actually, but when the day came I just couldn't stand it any longer. I left Melbourne and everything I had except for my car that dad gave me when I first got my driving license."

"So that's why you keep up with it and all its faults," Kate mused lightly.

Gerry's lips curled slightly upwards for a moment. "I guess you could say I was lucky growing up. I had none of the troubles the poor kids have around here. It was a revelation for me when I first got out in the outback. My father made a fortune from his company by selling legal drugs to various pharmacies, private clinics and institutions," he filled in hollowly.

Kate raised an impeccable eyebrow in surprise. "O'Neill," she whispered as if struck by lightning. "O'Neill Pharmaceuticals."

Gerry nodded. "John O'Neill was my father," he said and chuckled without mirth. "He was never home, always away on some conference or at some pharmacy. Gina and I used to mark the calendar those days that we knew he was available. He took up flying sports plane as a way to release his tensions and to let go of the stress his work caused."

"Did he die in a plane crash?" Kate wondered aloud as she tried to recall the headline on a newspaper she'd red several years ago.

Gerry nodded solemnly. "He suffered a stroke up there and since he was alone there was no one to bring down the plane safely," he explained.

"It must have been terrible," Kate said softly.

"Yeah," he mused and then broke into a ghost of a smile. "Thanks for listening to my ramblings."

The nurse reached out to gently squeeze his shoulder. "That's what friends and colleagues are for," she assured him.

He nodded faintly.

Kate smiled. "Gerry, I don't know what's going on between you and your sister but it's obvious that she cares for you," the nurse said softly.

The pilot sighed wearily. "It's a long and very complicated story," he mused.

OOOOOO

Gina quickly dabbed the area beneath her eyes to make sure the makeup was still in place and gave the doctor a hesitant smile.

Tom smiled back and opened the door to the pub for her then quickly followed her in. The room was filled with various original characters from the outback and the mood seemed to be on top in the early lunch hour.

An old scrawny man at the pool table let out a low whistle as they walked up to the counter, appreciating Gina's looks.

"I hope it's not me you're whistling at Barney," Tom said smartly with a cocked eyebrow reserved for the old man.

"Would never dream about it doc," he let on with a toothy grin.

"I'm sorry about that, love," Vic drawled from behind the counter. "Old Barney's been working in the mines for several weeks. He's hardly seen a woman."

Nancy smiled sweetly and then saw the stricken look on Gina's face. "Have you been crying dear?" she asked in concern.

"We thought we'd have two chicken salad please, Nancy," Tom ordered kindly.

"Of course," Nancy said and glared at the three men from the mine before she turned to her husband. "Vic, throw those cavemen at the pool table out, would you? At least get them outside the back and serve them a beer or two."

Vic muttered something intelligible under his breath and nodded at Tom and Gina before he left the counter.

"Why don't you take a table in the bistro?" Nancy suggested. "I'll be right out with the salad."

"Sounds great, Nance," Tom replied and gently guided Gina away.

"A cunning lady that one," Barney remarked. "I heard from old Wallie yesterday that she and that younger fella, Doctor Ratcliffe, had a date and now it's Doctor Callaghan."

Vic snorted. "A date?" he asked and chuckled. "You have a vivid imagination, Barney. Come on, a little sunshine will do you and the boys some good. Get out around the back and I'll serve the best beer in the country."

"You know I can't resist such an offer when you put it like that, Vic," he let on amusedly and licked his dry lips. "The best suggestion I've heard today."

"When are you to return to the mine?" The bar and hotel owner asked casually.

"There really is no rush," he said quickly.

Tom gently held out the chair for Gina and then walked around the table to take a seat opposite her. "I'm sorry. You must think there are only idiots living in the outback," he said.

"No, I've spend enough time here to see the diversity," she assured him and then sheepishly added; "Tom, I'm sorry for breaking apart on you."

"Don't be," he said.

OOOOOO

Kate Standish came to a halt in the middle of the corridor as she thought she'd seen movement through the small round glass in the door to the changing room. Intrigued she turned toward it and headed inside.

Geoff Standish was standing bare chested next to a washing bin with a grimace on his face.

Kate amusedly leaned toward the first locker in the row and crossed her hands over her chest.

The doctor indignantly turned to his wife. "My shirt had an accident," he explained.

"Yes, I can tell by the smell," she quipped teasingly. "Maybe it was the color?"

"Very funny," he muttered as he reached into his locker to retrieve another one.

Kate chuckled as she walked up to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Well, at least it's a trivial matter," he suggested. "It could have been worse."

Kate nodded absentmindedly.

"What's bothering you?" he asked kindly as he closed the door to his locker and shrugged into a clean shirt.

"I don't know," she mused. "I- Geoff, what do you make of Gina O'Neill?"

He frowned as he finished buttoning his shirt. "I hardly know anything about her," he said.

"People talk," she began carefully.

He nodded wearily. "And you of all people should know not to listen to unsanctioned gossip," he admonished her lightly.

Kate sighed. "It's just that- I don't know, there's been a lot of things going on recently. With Chris leaving, Gerry getting injured, Potts, and we're understaffed at the hospital. I guess everything is catching up on me at the same time."

Geoff gently hugged her. "Everything is going to be fine, Kate," he whispered confidently.

"I'm a bit worried that Annie is going to leave us soon," she let on.

"She's told you so?" he asked.

"No, but she's distant at times and I heard Nick yesterday, over at the pub, talking about leaving for Sydney to see his father. Annie is spending a lot of time with him. We can't afford to lose people Geoff. I need every nurse I've got."

"We'll have to hire more people. Maybe we can get Gerry to sponsor us?" he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Kate chuckled at him. "I never realized Gerry was rich. He can have everything he wants. He can have his own private jet," she said.

"That's obviously not what he wants," Geoff replied softly. "Maybe he just wants a normal life without the kind of responsibilities the company would place on him."

"How did it go with the baby?" Kate suddenly asked.

"Everything was fine," he said with a fond smile. "She's a strong and healthy little baby and Sara, Verona's oldest daughter, she'll be a splendid nurse once she's finished school."

"Any problems with Potts?" Kate asked cunningly.

Geoff shook his head. "No, I did everything by the book and coordinated with him. I even asked for his advice. In the end he turned out pretty good. He even wished me a good evening," he said.

"Well," Kate drawled jovially. "Geoff Standish, ever the diplomat."

"Out here one has to be," he replied and sneaked an arm around her middle. "Come on, let's grab something to eat. I am starving. It must be all the diplomacy work."

OOOOOO

Tom sighed and let out a yawn as he walked out of the pub to get some fresh air. His conversation with Gina had been long and mixed with joy and sorrow. He felt drained by the day's events as he strayed over the main street and up to the rotunda to sit down on the well-worn wooden sofa. He leaned back and closed his eyes as the light breeze gently started to play with his hair. The quiet evening soothed his frayed nerves and his conflicted feelings. Tom inhaled deeply and filled his lungs with the fresh country air and straightened. He glanced around the immediate surroundings to find it empty. An occasional slam of the door to the Majestic Hotel and bar was the only sound that reminded him of civilization.

He chuckled bitterly. When he'd first arrived to Cooper's Crossing several years before the town had changed him, mastered him, and at the same time shared it's peace and quiet with him. Over time he became one with the outback and its people. He liked the little town, its inhabitants and his more or less wild colleagues. However, he'd always been a restless soul. It seemed he always wanted something more, always searched for something.

One day he'd reached a point where he needed a challenge and change in scenery. At least that's what he'd told himself when he'd applied for the Africa tour. He'd seen the devastated looks his friends had given him and he'd seen the hurt in Chris' eyes when he'd told her. He spent days contemplating whether or not he would be doing the right thing to leave the outback and Australia. Then again he knew he'd always wonder what it would have been like if he had not grabbed the opportunity as it appeared.

When he'd returned from Africa he'd changed. He'd tried to fit in, like he used to, but it wasn't the same as it had been before. He still loved Cooper's Crossing and its inhabitants. He loved to share a laugh with his workmates and take care of the various patients in the district but he was not at peace. He longed for something more, he felt trapped.

Tom blinked open his eyes and absentmindedly let his head come to rest in the palm of his hand as he leaned forward. With the conversation with Chris still fresh in his mind he slowly got up and headed for the hospital to do the late rounds.

" _Life is not forever, Tom. You have to make the most of it while you can,"_ Tamook, an old wise man, once said to him during his time in Africa and Tom knew that no words where truer than that.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen – Doubts**

Back in her room Gina O'Neill sat down on the bed, emotionally drained. It was obvious to her now that she hadn't gotten over everything that had happened in the past. Sadly, albeit with a fond smile, she withdrew an old and well-thumbed photography of her and her family. It had been taken in front of their large estate near Melbourne only a few days before her father had tragically passed away. Gina had been eighteen and Gerry twenty-one. Their mother stood to the left and then Gina and Gerry with their father to the right. They had their arms around each other, all of them laughing. It had been a carefree day, a wonderful day, which they had all spent together. It felt like it belonged to a different life.

" _You have to learn to live again, Gina,"_ her therapists' words echoed at the back of her mind. _"Life doesn't wait for you, it goes on whether you want it to or not. Make the best of it."_

Gina sighed as a ghost of a smile curled her lips upward. She was free of drugs and alcohol, she'd found her brother again and she had everything she required and then some. It was time to bury the past and let it rest and make the most of the future. She slowly got up from the bed and glinted on the blinds to stare out over the main street of the sleepy little town called Cooper's Crossing.

OOOOOO

"Seems we're both running from things, mate," Tom said kindly as he walked into his colleagues' cubicle.

The pilot shook his head as he gingerly placed the newspaper he'd been reading on the nightstand. "Past has caught up with me. I can't keep running," he reasoned and grimaced. "You know, I've always wanted life to be simple but it never has been."

"Try me," Tom suggested.

"People are fixated with money," Gerry said seriously, his voice tinged with a bitter undertone. "They think that if they had some money all their problems would go away. That's when all the real problems start. Gina and I had a good upbringing. We got what we wanted, we went to private boarding schools but we missed family, we missed doing things together with our parents. We loved our holidays when mum used to take us to various places, to see things. Dad was never around when we were kids. He had to take care of the business."

Tom frowned.

Gerry snorted. "I take it you've heard about O'Neill pharmaceuticals?" he asked dryly.

Tom did a double take on his colleague, suddenly able to connect all the bits and pieces he'd heard from Gina. "John O'Neill died in a plane crash," he whispered as he recalled the country wide news report. "Family devastated by the news."

Gerry nodded. "Gina lived to impress him and when he died she got lost. Mum stopped living, she was never able to accept what happened and pretended dad was away on a regular business trip. His death seemed suspicious to some and became the subject of a police investigation. The press tried to find something that wasn't there. The company was sent into turmoil. I wasn't ready to step in, I didn't want to. I was twenty-one and struggled with various contracts for CPL-flights."

"Do you want to go back there?" Tom asked curiously.

Gerry leveled his eyes with the doctor's. "There is no simple answer to that question," he said wryly. "At least not yet."

Silence settled over the room as Tom gently checked and rechecked the wound and the dressing.

Gerry bit his lower lip absentmindedly as he watched the doctor walk over to the end of the bed to scribble something on the chart.

"Well, you're improving," Tom said jovially. "I think we can let you out in a day or two."

"Enough about me, what are you running from Tom?" he asked. "You can't say A and leave out the B."

The doctor rolled his eyes as he walked over to sit down in the visitor's chair next to the pilot's bedside.

"This might sound crazy to you but I feel trapped here at times," he began.

Gerry frowned. "At Cooper's Crossing in general or the hospital?" he asked lightly.

Tom sighed but his lips curled carefully upwards. "At the Crossing," he let on mutedly as he cast a casual glance down at his hands.

The pilot shrugged. "Well, it's not Melbourne but if one were looking for people, amusement, night life and that sort of thing I wouldn't expect to find that person out here," he reasoned as he studied the weary doctor before him for a moment. "But that's not what you're talking about. You long for something else entirely don't you? Another tour in Africa perhaps?"

Tom turned to look at his friend and colleague in surprise at his perceptiveness. "Am I that obvious?" he asked carefully.

Gerry shook his head and broke into a wry smile. "No. It was an educated guess," he admitted. "But there is something missing for you isn't it? Some piece of your life puzzle you haven't found yet."

Tom narrowed his eyes at his patient. "Did you hit your head in the accident?" he asked with a smirk.

"You had been the first to know if I had," the pilot reasoned casually.

Tom chuckled.

"I've just had too much time to think lately," Gerry added. "My mother had a saying, a bit morbid perhaps, and before you ask, she was always seeing things from the bright side."

The doctor frowned waiting for the pilot to continue.

"She said; 'From the moment you're born you're dying so make the best of life while you can.'

Tom nodded gloomily. "But we don't. We put up the things we want to do thinking we have time to do them later," he filled in.

Gerry swallowed, his mouth dry. "You have to ask yourself, Tom. Is this where you want to spend the rest of your life? Is this what you want to do or feel that you should do?"

The doctor hesitated as he leveled his eyes with the pilot's. "No," he finally managed. "Don't get me wrong I love this place but-"

"I left Melbourne because I had enough but I wasn't really finished. I take it you left Africa with unfinished business?" Gerry guessed.

Tom bit his lower lip, weighing his words carefully. "I couldn't stand it any longer," he finally admitted.

"But you can't stop thinking about it can you?" Gerry asked.

"Not since Chris left for Sydney, no," he said despondently before he suddenly broke into a smile and slowly got out of the chair. "Thanks Gerry. I needed that."

"Anytime, I believe that's what friends are for," he said simply.

OOOOOO

Nick yawned as he walked into the garage and ran a hand through his unruly hair. With a sigh he studied the mess before him. Spare parts lay all over the place, half an engine sat atop of a table to his right and a few tires of various sizes lay in a bundle next to the door. He was lagging behind.

Emma had worked hard to keep the place afloat and to give service to the farmers around the town. The more he thought about it the more he found himself in awe of her capabilities, of her strength and management skills. He had work 24 hours a day if he wanted to but he had to say no. Some people took it well and understood his workload others threatened to go to another garage while others outright condemned him. Nick was starting to feel uncomfortable in his role as garage manager. He could do things like towing cars to town, help someone with a spare tire, fill up gasoline and do some repair work but he wasn't really a mechanic and he certainly didn't have the management skills required to run the place.

At times all he wanted was to flee the responsibilities, to go swimming in the creek, fix a fence at some remote sheep farm or shy away from civilization on horseback.

He was saved from his daydreaming and longing for something else by the sharp shrill of the phone. He walked into the office and glanced at a picture of Sam and Emma laughing at each other.

"Cooper's Crossing garage, how can I help you?" he asked kindly.

" _Nick! It's Emma,"_ the cheerful voice boomed over the line.

His lips curled upwards at hearing her voice. "I've been trying to get in touch with you for several days," he said wryly.

" _I'm sorry Nick. It's been hectic recently,"_ she apologized. _"I've bought some shares in a large garage and there's a lot of things to take care of."_

"You already have a garage on your own," Nick replied skeptically. "It's more work than one person can handle."

" _Don't I know it,"_ she answered in exasperation. _"I'm sorry, Nick. I didn't mean for you to get caught up with it."_

"Why did you have to leave Emma? I mean really?" he whined. "Why couldn't you just sell the farm and settle down back in the Crossing again?"

" _I don't know if I could have lived there knowing someone else was to take care of our animals and our land. I can't explain it, Nick. Then there was the fact that Sam got a very lucrative job offer here in Sydney and that he needed help with his flight school company. It felt like a good idea to leave all together and start anew. I could have stayed behind I guess and worked in my garage but without Sam by my side-"_

Silence settled over the line for a moment.

" _I love Sam, Nick. I would have been miserable and bored without his company. At least here I'll get to see him once in a while,"_ she reasoned.

"What happened to the independent queen of the outback?" he teased lightly.

" _I'm still independent,"_ she protested.

"Okay," he replied amusedly.

" _I'm calling to give you an offer, Nick,"_ she said. _"Do you want to buy the garage?"_

He sighed and absentmindedly scratched his chin. Her question had caught him off-guard. "I don't know," he finally managed.

" _Why don't you think about it,"_ she suggested.

"What are you going to do with it? I mean if I don't accept your offer," he wondered aloud.

" _I can't run it from here,"_ she said softly _. "Since I'm not doing the work I don't want to gain from it. It's not fair. If you don't want to be the owner, or even a partner, then I'll have to decide what to do next. I might have to close it down."_

"What's going to happen to the town then?" Nick asked incredulously. "What if I find someone else?"

" _Uncle Hurtle started the garage, Nick. Before him there was none, except for old Bernie's pump,"_ she reasoned. _"I want you to think about it. If you don't want to continue with the garage I'll understand. You should do what's right for you."_

Nick sighed. "It's going to keep me up for several nights," he mused.

" _Remember, you should do what's best for you. Take care now, Nick and say hello to the others for me,"_ Emma said.

"I will. Say hello to Sam for me," he replied thoughtfully as the call terminated.

OOOOOO

Misjudging the difference in height between the pavement and the grass at the backyard of the hospital Gerry gritted his teeth as the misstep jarred his healing wound. Even if he felt better for every day he was still in pain. He inhaled sharply as he gingerly headed over to an unoccupied table. He wrapped the gown tighter around him as the wind took hold of it in the rather chilly morning air.

The clicking of high heels could suddenly be heard coming from inside the corridor he'd just left. Intrigued he turned around to see his kid sister walk toward him. She hesitated as she caught him looking at her.

Gerry broke into a smile and nodded at her as he sat down.

Gina returned the smile and quickly closed the distance between them.

"Gina, I am sorry," he said as she took a seat opposite him and placed her purse on the table. "I guess I'd had too much of everything yesterday."

"I'm sorry too, Gerry. I came barging in. I didn't ask if you wanted me there. It's just that I took that for granted. You're my brother," she reasoned and suddenly chuckled. "How did you put up with me when I was at the clinic? I almost broke apart last night after you'd yelled at me once. I shouted at you at least twice every time I saw you for at least two weeks."

Gerry shrugged. "You didn't mean it," he said slyly. "I had to tell myself you didn't mean it."

She gently placed her hand on top of his. "Come home," she said softly with a hint of despair in her calm voice. "I miss you."

"I can't, Gina," he reasoned. "I kind of like it here."

She stole a mischievous glance at him. "You can't stand blood and you're lazy by nature," she said amusedly.

He snorted. "Lazy?"

Gina leaned in to elbow him lightly. "I'm just teasing you," she said.

Gerry sighed as he turned serious and forlorn. He gazed out in the nothingness of the outback and narrowed his eyes at the sun that filtered in between the large bushes.

"Come home," he whispered. "What is home? An empty house on a large estate?"

Gina sighed too as she followed his gaze and let herself become mesmerized by the beauty of the wide stretch of land that hinted between the buildings of the small town. "We can do it, together," she reasoned. "That's what dad would have wanted. He made us rich, he made us part of the company and left us a place at the helm."

Gerry nodded absentmindedly. "I've never really felt ready for such a place. I've been afraid of screwing up, of failing the tasks he did so brilliantly."

"But not anymore?" she guessed softly. "When you've gone through a crisis you view things differently. You see things you never thought existed before. I've been at the bottom of the abyss and made it back. You've been balancing between life and death. Such things makes us stronger."

He turned to face her and leveled his eyes with hers. He wasn't surprised to see the determination in them and the drive and eagerness she'd always displayed. Gina had grown up, gone was the nativity and the bad self-esteem.

"Maybe I should challenge you?" she said with a sly and cautious smile. "You've always been a risk-taker, just like dad."

He shook his head sadly. "No, my risks have always been calculated. I saw what the company did with dad. I don't want that kind of life. But you're right about one thing. It's time to face up to our heritage."

She broke into a grin and gently, mindful of his injuries leaned in to give him a hug.

"On one condition," he pointed out seriously. "I give it a year and if I don't like it, I'll sell my shares."

Gina was still grinning while she nodded at him. "Fair enough," she said.

Gerry's eyes twinkled in amusement. "And, I'll never give up flying," he added.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen – Thoughts of Leaving**

Jack Carruthers sighed as he walked into the pub to cool down. He removed his dress cap and wiped the thin sheen of perspiration from his forehead with his arm.

"Jack," Vic acknowledged as he reached for a glass behind him. "A pint?"

The sergeant shook his head. "No, mate. Not while on duty. I'll have a glass of orange juice," he said. "It's hotter than hell outside already."

Vic snorted. "I nearly froze my butt off when I walked out to get the paper earlier," he stated in disbelief.

Jack shook his head as he reached into his pocket to retrieve a few coins. "Winds of change then Vic," he said.

The bar owner huffed. "Yeah, mate. They seem to blow straight at us," he said and reached for an old newspaper and placed it in front of the policeman.

Jack frowned as he unfolded it. "What's this?" he mused curiously.

"Elsie barged in yesterday-"

"O'Neill pharmaceuticals CEO John O'Neill died tragically in a plane crash at the Melbourne Flying Sports Centre," he red, still not sure what to make of the old article.

"She thinks Gerry and Gina are his children," Vic finished, annoyed at the interruption of the clueless officer. "She claimed it was a given judging by the way Gina moves and how she dresses."

Jack gave him an incredulous look. "If that's true, they're good for a small fortune. But why would they be here?"

"You're being modest, Jack. A large fortune would be more like it," he replied. "They could buy half the town."

Jack shook his head. "Elsie must have got it wrong, mate. You know what she's like. She thinks she hears something and then-" he threw his hands in the air theatrically.

Nancy walked up next to Vic with a fresh towel and placed it on the counter. "I told Elsie that many people have that surname. It would be like saying everyone named Traeger is related to Alfred Traeger."

Vic's eyebrows shot up in confusion. "Who?" he asked.

"Traeger?" Jack mused. "Don't think there are many people by that name, Nancy."

"What's wrong with you?" she admonished. "Alfred Traeger. The man who built the first radio for the Royal Flying Doctor's in 1929?"

"Actually, Gerry and Gina have the right age," Jack suggested as he returned his focus on the article before him.

Vic leaned forward over to counter in curiosity.

OOOOOO

"There you are," Tom said relieved as he spotted his patient sitting alone in the garden wrapped in her gown only, her eyes closed and her face tilted upward toward the setting sun.

Maggie Davies took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh scent of the flowers around her. She opened her eyes and turned toward him as he walked up to her. "I'm just enjoying the peace and quiet," she said mischievously. "It's probably going to be a while before I am back from Sydney."

He shook his head in amusement. "A real outback girl," he mused.

"I've always felt trapped in the city," she let on. "But enough about me now, Tom. Did you follow and old cunning woman's advice?

"Pardon?" he asked innocently.

"How's Chris?" she said.

"She's holding on. It's tough on her," he explained.

"Well, when are you going to visit her?" Maggie asked.

Tom chuckled without mirth. "It's not that simple, Maggie," he said.

"Everything is simple, Tom, unless you complicate things. I saw the way you two looked at each other when you thought no one else saw you."

"Too much has changed since then," he let on sadly.

"It's never too late to live your dreams," she persisted. "Why are you still here? This is not where you want to be."

He frowned and sat down next to her. "What do you mean, Maggie?" he asked curiously.

"There is no spark in your eyes anymore," she explained softly. "You are a seeker, Tom. You seek challenges."

"There are enough challenges around here," he said, thinking back on the last couple of weeks.

"All I am saying is that you shouldn't put your life on hold. Life never wait and as you now, sooner or later, life ends. Do the things you want while you can."

He absentmindedly threw a hasty glance at his wristwatch. "It's late, Maggie and you're to leave for Sydney early tomorrow morning," he reasoned.

"So I better get in," she asked wryly. "By the way, when are you to get rid of that old, stern driver of yours?"

OOOOOO

David walked into the base and shook his head in amusement. "It's out," he said cryptically.

Annie and Clare turned around to look at him with incomprehension. Absolutely clueless as to what he was referring to, they shrugged and shared a frown.

"Has old Partman peed in his pants again?" Annie asked, referring to a regular customer over at the hospital.

David turned to her and made a face.

"Someone's spotted the tree monster at Badger's Creek?" Clare suggested.

"Is Captain Potts considering retirement?" Geoff asked as he appeared in the doorway to his office.

David rolled his eyes. "No to all three suggestions," he said. "Cooper's Crossing has just realized that our pilot and his sister are related to former CEO of O'Neill pharmaceuticals, John O'Neill."

Geoff sighed and gently reached up to rub his forehead absentmindedly.

"So Elsie was right?" Annie asked out of curiosity.

"I don't think he was too keen on us knowing," Geoff said as he turned to look straight at David. "Now the whole town knows."

Annie huffed in disbelief. "We knew?" she echoed in disbelief. "How long have you known that?"

"Not long," Geoff assured her kindly. "He didn't want that to come out."

"What does it matter, Annie?" David asked. "He's the same person, nothing has changed."

"Just wish he'd bother to tell me that's all," she said sullenly as she sat down behind the desk in the duty room.

"So, how do we handle this?" Clare asked.

Geoff shrugged. "There's nothing we can do I'm afraid," he answered. "I have a feeling that this development will affect our chances of keeping him as our pilot. They're not going to treat him the same way as before."

OOOOOO

Gina walked into the cubicle and broke into a grin as she saw her brother sitting on the edge of his bed dressed in regular black slacks. Doctor Standish was busy trying to help him into a fresh and crisp light yellow shirt.

"Here, let me help you," Gina suggested as she quickly closed the small distance between them and gently guided his arm into the sleeve.

"Thanks," he mused.

She straightened the collar as the doctor stepped back amusedly and then reached for the buttons of the shirt.

"I can do that," Gerry said with a wry half-smile. "Hands off."

She threw him a dark look.

"But, if you want to help you can tie my shoes," he suggested cunningly.

She smirked at him and sighed unamused at his smugness. "You are lucky you're already injured big brother," she mumbled.

"I see," he drawled. "Or what? You're going to throw a bucket of ice cold water over me like you did when you were ten?"

Gina's lips twitched upward at the memory as she tied the last shoelace and straightened on her high heels before him. "You stole my candy," she stated.

"I did not," he deadpanned.

She threw him an obsolete look and then they both broke into a grin.

"Where is he?" Vic drawled as he and Nancy appeared outside the cubicle with a wheelchair.

"Please, put that aside Vic," Gerry grimaced.

"Wait just a minute," Geoff said.

"Come on, doc," the pilot whined. "It's just across the street. I've strayed longer around the corridors here with my IV-pole."

Geoff frowned. "Now he tells me," he mused.

"Well, it's not very manly," Vic reasoned.

"You're not helping," Nancy stated with a disapproving look.

"He can lean on me," Vic offered. "Come on, mate."

"I've cleaned your room and added some fresh flowers," Nancy said sweetly and gently squeezed his arm as they began to walk out into the corridor.

Gina and Geoff brought up the rear. She turned to him in surprise. "You coming too, Geoff?" she asked softly.

"I'm going to finish some work at the office so I'll follow you to the door," he said.

OOOOOO

Annie carefully knocked on the door to the garage and walked up to the window in order to see inside. She smiled as she saw Nick approaching her and stepped away from the window.

"There you are," she exclaimed. "I haven't seen you since yesterday. Been away with the tow truck have you?"

He shook his head with a ghost of a smile as he walked up to stand opposite her. "I took a ride," he admitted. "I've had a lot to think about."

"Why?" Annie asked in concern. "Has something happened? Is it about your dad?"

"No," he said thoughtfully. "I'm sure he's doing fine. It's-" he trailed of and glanced around the garage. "Emma called me early this morning and offered me to take over the ownership of this place."

Annie broke into a grin. "Nick, congratulations! That's wonderful news," she said.

He turned to look her in the eye. "Is it?" he asked carefully sounding hesitant and unsure of himself. "It will only be work, a lot of work. I don't even know if I have what it takes."

"Of course you have, Nick," Annie encouraged him as she gently squeezed his shoulder.

"I saw how hard Emma worked and-" he sighed and shook his head sadly. "I don't know if I really want to settle down here. Sometimes I feel a bit like an outcast."

Annie frowned but said nothing.

"Would you want to spend the rest of your life here?" he asked.

She didn't answer right away. She seemed to be contemplating her words carefully for a moment before she turned to look at him directly. "I like my work here. I feel like I can contribute with something of value to the people around here but my private life is nonexistent," she finally answered.

Nick averted his eyes and gazed down the main street. "For a while there I thought you and I-"

"I like you as a friend, Nick. A real good friend but you're not my type. And an occasional ride in the outback is not enough for me. What happened to Gerry made me think about my own life and what is to become of it. I still don't have any answer to whether it involves leaving this tranquil place or staying. For now I'm contracted till this year's end but then I don't know."

"I see," he mused dejectedly.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen – My Life**

The team had been gathered at a large round table in the more secluded area of the bistro and was eagerly awaiting their pilot and his kid sister. It had been Gina who'd rounded them up and kindly asked them to join the siblings for a late meal. Gerry had slept most of the day undisturbed in his room. No one had seen him since he'd walked into the pub before noon supported by Vic.

"I wonder what it's all about," Annie said as she placed a tray of beer on the table in front of her colleagues and then sat down.

David seemed deep in thought as he studied the label on the glass intently while Tom absentmindedly scratched the back of his neck, looking in the direction of the bar.

Annie frowned at the behavior of her colleagues.

Geoff and Kate shared a somber look while Clare smiled at the young nurse next to her.

"I do believe that Gerry and Gina wants to tell us the whole story. We've all just heard different bits and pieces," Clare said softly. "And rumors spread by Elsie."

"Is Gerry really up to this?" Kate asked in concern.

Geoff shrugged. "There are three doctors and two nurses here, Kate," he said softly.

She smirked and gave him a playful shove on the shoulder.

Annie suddenly gave a low whistle causing Geoff, Kate and David to turn around.

Gina and Gerry came walking slowly toward them. Gina was dressed casually in a white crinkle blouse matched with a dark skirt that ended loosely just above her knees and black high heels. Her nails and jewelry matched each other elegantly in a gold sparkle. Gerry looked just as dashing in dark slacks and a stark white shirt. He seemed a little pale and weary but otherwise there seemed to be nothing wrong with him.

Gina beamed proudly as she walked up to the table with her brother arm in arm. She brought out the chair for him and sat down next to him as he gingerly took his place around the table. Kate gently reached out to squeeze his shoulder as she sat next to him.

Gerry gave her a ghost of a smile and sighed.

"Seems like your sister have influenced you, mate," Tom said cheerfully with a smirk, indicating the attire.

The pilot pursed his lips into a thin line and narrowed his eyes as he cast a quick glance to his left where Gina sat. "It's a bit too close to my uniform for my liking," he confessed.

His sister gave him a mischievous smile and blinked at him.

"Anyway," he began. "I think I owe you all an explanation-"

"Look mate, we respect your privacy," Geoff said kindly.

"Liar, we want to know everything," Kate teased.

"Yeah and don't spare any details," Annie added with a smile.

Gerry chuckled. "You've probably wondered what I am doing here in the middle of nowhere, some of you more than others, now that you know some of the backstory. And to be honest with you I've wondered that too occasionally when working late, scaring cattle away from the airstrip, talking to a failing engine, arguing with stubborn farmers-"

There was a chorus of laughter around the table and few headshakes.

"Don't give us that, big brother," Gina protested lightly. "We all know what a glassy job you have. You should try being a saleswoman sometime."

"I tell you what," he dared. "Why don't you come with me one day?"

She hesitated.

"I can give you a parachute," he offered. "Right, you're afraid of heights."

Gina got an incredulous look on her face as she slapped him playfully on the shoulder.

He tried to hide a wince but the medically trained professionals around the table saw it instantly.

They all turned somber as they thought back on the last few weeks emotional roller-coaster.

It was Gina who suddenly began to tell them about the O'Neill family, how they'd grown up, about their boarding schools and their father's tragic accident. Gerry then filled in, how he'd blamed himself for not being there when it happened, as he'd been supposed to. Gina told them about her work at the company and that she broke apart when their father passed away.

The others around the table sat mesmerized at the story, listening intently to every word.

"Mum always told us that we should be no different from others," Gerry said with fondness. "She and dad worked hard to found the company."

"Still, we got everything we wanted and then some," Gina added and turned to David. "Like I mentioned for you the other day. It was their way of compensating us for not being there for us as much as they'd liked when we were children."

"When the company started doing well, mum stepped down and dad hired professional salespeople and surrounded himself with a stab of experts on their fields. He was adamant too that everything was to be done by the book and not to discredit others or give certain people advantages," Gerry explained. "I don't know exactly when it happened because dad always worked late but at some point he began to work himself to exhaustion."

"Back then I never noticed that anything was wrong but when I think about it there were subtle signs," Gina let on. "As some of you have already recalled from the old newspapers, dad drove over to the sports flight center, took off in a small plane never to come back alive."

Gerry shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his chair. "When I got there the crash site was surrounded by officers and paramedics. They stared at a bloodied mess that was our father. I wish I'd never sat my foot there, that they'd stopped me from seeing him," he said darkly.

"The accident sent our family and the company in turmoil," Gina said gloomily and swallowed. "It created an inner chaos, mum couldn't handle it, she never accepted his death."

"Media went crazy, they fabricated lie after lie until they'd discredited his name. At one point they even suggested he'd been killed by a customer that he'd sold illegal drugs to," Gerry explained angrily.

"Dad would never do such a thing," Gina added. "The stocks fell drastically on the market, there had been no contingency plan in place for such an event. I tried to get to work like nothing had happened but I couldn't."

"The pharmacy business is no place for me. I was thrown into it for a couple of years in my youth but it wasn't what I wanted and dad accepted it. After his accident the board approached me and wanted me to join the board and then eventually take his place," Gerry said, eliciting a few raised eyebrows and surprised looks from around the table.

"At the time I was a freshly baked pilot that wanted to test my wings. I ran as far away as I could. I suppose it was my way of coping with it," Gerry added.

"I was lost. Everything I'd worked for seemed to be nonexistent at the time," Gina said somberly. "Mum was in denial, dad was dead, my brother had left and the company was on the verge of collapse."

"Dad's oldest friend, James McGuire managed, together with the stab, to keep the company afloat and ride out the storm. The investigation cleared the company of misconduct and of any illegal business allegations. Dad's death was written off as a tragic accident, and that was exactly what it was," Gerry explained.

"I spiraled out of control and developed an addiction to the drugs I was selling," Gina let on seriously with a sheepish smile. "If Gerry hadn't interfered and hauled me off to a clinic for drug abusers I hadn't been sitting here today."

The siblings shared a look deep with affection and respect for one another.

"I drove my brother away and when our mother got terminally ill I was so ashamed that I couldn't face her. I started anew in Canberra to try and forget my sorrows. When I finally realized how stupid I'd been it was too late," she said. "I tracked Gerry down or at least I thought so. I came up empty handed with a flat that once belonged to him."

"You told me very clearly what you thought about me," he said carefully.

Gina nodded sadly and sighed. "Like I told you before. I never wanted to hurt you and I never meant what I said. You cornered me and forced me to face my fears and to sort out my problems. It was hard," she admitted and glanced around the table before her eyes settled on Tom. "When you called, and I still don't know how you managed to find me, I hadn't heard from or seen my brother for five years."

"I have my ways plus I had a little help," Tom said with a smile.

"Thank you for calling me, without your call I would never have been able to find my brother and, more importantly, thank you all for taking care of him. I don't know if I'd survived knowing he'd died," she said seriously.

Geoff leaned forward in the chair and hastily glanced at his watch. It was after midnight, the pub was closed and deserted. Vic and Nancy had bid them goodnight but kindly let them stay as long as they'd like. He stifled a yawn and turned to study the pilot sitting next to his wife. It seemed he'd misjudged the depth of the man. He'd nothing against Gerry but he'd considered him to be a bit shallow and cocky. A wise guy on the border to accident prone. However, the pilot had proven again and again to be steady, focused at his work and a great team mate. He wasn't a natural as a nurse though given the fact that he couldn't stand blood but then again he wasn't employed to be a nurse. Gerry had been growing on him all the time.

"Anyone for another beer?" Annie asked as she got out of her chair.

David, Tom and Gerry raised their hands.

The nurse chuckled and headed behind the counter.

"So," Tom began curiously as he turned to the pilot. "Is that what you really want? To go back there and take a place at the board."

Gina turned to her brother and saw him hesitate for a second.

The pilot sighed. "I don't know what I want anymore," he let on tiredly. "But I have to stop running. The past have a habit of catching up with you."

"Our shares are parked until we take an active role in the company," Gina explained. "When I temporarily left to be detoxified mine was placed in a fund until I decided to come back."

"Who's seeing to your interests?" David asked.

"A bunch of advisors," Gerry replied. "And miles of legal documents that dad set up to guarantee us a place at the board if we ever wanted to take such a role."

"We have no real choice in the matter if we're to get out anything in terms of money from it. Dad thought he was clever that way," Gina explained. "He didn't want to force it upon us but he figured we'd want shares from it which would mean at least five years of commitment from our part."

"Actually, I am a bit surprised that I'm even considering going back there and lay off my wings for an indefinite period of time," Gerry mused.

"Well," Geoff began seriously. "I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I ask that you think everything through before you do anything drastic."

"Such as leaving us high and dry without a pilot?" Kate filled in with a grin.

They all laughed.

"I have had plenty of time to think," Gerry let on enigmatically. "I have to say though that I've enjoyed the challenges you've presented me with."

"Such as?" Clare asked innocently.

"You know, flying under gunpoint, flying on emergency power, fixing electric wiring in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, landing on runways that has to be cleared with machetes," he said dryly with a wry grin. "You know, that sort of things."

OOOOOO

Tom yawned tiredly as he walked into the office in the early morning, still a bit surprised at the late night revelations made by their pilot.

" _Life is not forever, Tom. You have to make the most of it while you can,"_ Tamook's voice echoed in his head as he turned on the lights in the office.

The doctor strayed over to the shelf and grabbed hold of an old and worn folder that Chris had left behind. A small photograph fell out of it as he put it on the desk before him. He bent down to pick it up and smiled sadly at the picture.

Tom sat down on the chair and stared at himself, Chris and Gibbo, all of them laughing at something. They looked like they didn't have a care in the world. A wave of melancholia swept over him as he continued to stare at the picture, unable to tear his eyes from it.

Gerry's voice suddenly echoed in his head _. "You long for something else entirely don't you? Another tour in Africa perhaps?"_

Tom snorted ironically as past and present seemed to collide.

" _You have to ask yourself, Tom. Is this where you want to spend the rest of your life? Is this what you want to do or feel that you should do?"_ Gerry had asked him.

Tom sighed and reached into the old folder to retrieve a page with a list of contacts for the Africa tour he'd gone away on. Chris said she needed time and, in a way, he did too. He needed to fulfill his own commitments as well. Resolutely he picked up the phone and dialed the number to his newfound friend in the African Camp and wondered what it would lead to.

OOOOOO

To be continued


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen – Into the Future**

Heavy-hearted, Gerry O'Neill reached for a pen on the small desk in the duty room that had been his designated place when he'd been working from the base, and signed his resignation.

Clare gently took off her reading glasses and cast a glance over her shoulder from where she sat in the radio room. Without a word she got out of her chair and walked over to the pilot who stood facing the window in the duty room, his mind seemingly miles away.

"We're going to miss you, you know," she said kindly as she followed his gaze.

He sighed and turned to look at her with a ghost of a smile. "I still don't know if I'm doing the right thing, Clare," he said in a subdued voice. "I've grown fond of this place."

"I wish I had the same courage as you when it comes to sort up your life," she said cryptically with an enigmatic smile.

"I guess there simply is no other way," he said despondently and sighed. "If I don't do it I'm probably going to regret it for the rest of my life."

"Are you going to give up your wings?" Clare asked carefully.

Gerry laughed. "Never, Clare. You can't take away a pilot's wings, it would be like taking his life. I might be grounded for a while but not my entire life."

Geoff appeared in the doorway to his office, having overheard most of the conversation. "I'm tempted not to accept that letter of resignation," he said lightly yet melancholically.

"I'd advise you to give the head office a call straight away," Gerry replied. "That way they'll have to look for a permanent replacement and the sooner they can find one the sooner you'll get rid of Potts."

The doctor shook his head. "Now that you put it that way – What are you waiting for? Hand it over would you?" he teased with a grin.

Gerry nodded. He walked over and placed the paper in his colleagues' hand. Their eyes locked for a moment in regret and appreciation; in respect for one another.

"So, this is it?" Geoff mused somberly.

"This is it," Gerry echoed.

OOOOOO

"Are you sure about this?" Gerry asked carefully as Gina placed her bag on the forward passenger seat and then moved around the shining, yellow BMW to open the driver's door.

Gina beamed at him as she gently removed her high heels and threw them inside. "You know I don't like airplanes. Besides, you want your car back in Melbourne don't you?" she asked.

"That's not too hard to arrange, Gina," he reasoned softly. "I want you with me. Look, why don't I cancel the flight ticket-"

"You'll do no such thing," Gina admonished sternly. "You are in no condition to travel across the country on bad roads. I'll meet up with you back home."

"I did sell my flat," Gerry replied.

"Back where we grew up then," Gina suggested with a fond smile. "The O'Neill Foundation still owns the place. I've arranged for our old butler to meet us there in a few days. It's plenty of room for the two of us and then some."

"I see," Gerry mused and narrowed his eyes at her. "How long have you planned this?"

"Not long," she said smugly with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Have you always been this manipulative?" he asked suspiciously.

Gina gave him a quick peck on his cheek. "Bye big brother, see you back in Melbourne," she said as she got in behind the wheel of the car.

"Be careful, Gina," he said in concern.

"Always," she replied softly.

He snorted and shook his head.

OOOOOO

Nick Cardaci walked with light steps toward the garage in the late evening. He'd been away to work on a tractor far out in the outback for the entire day and he'd finally been able to sort out his feelings. He'd been at peace working so remotely, without interference from others. He'd enjoyed the day and he'd finally reached a decision about his future.

Nick unlocked the door and walked into the office. He pulled the light switch and flooded the room with light. His eyes strayed to the picture of Emma and Sam smiling at him and couldn't help but to smile back. He picked up the phone and dialed the number Emma had given him.

He waited patiently for someone at the other end to pick up. Several rings went unanswered until he finally heard a very familiar voice at the other end.

" _Sam Patterson,"_ came the rough voice over the open line.

"Sam! Its Nick calling from Cooper's Crossing," he said jovially and easily imagined the pilot breaking into a grin.

" _It's good to hear from you, Nick!"_ he exclaimed cheerfully. _"How's it coming back there?"_

"You know Cooper's Crossing," he offered. "Same old town, same old faces with a few exceptions."

" _I've been busy, I've hardly even had time to eat and sleep let alone have some quality time with Emma,"_ he admitted. _"I should have given mum a ring but-"_

Nick chuckled at the easygoing pilot at the other end. "I thought it was better now," he said.

" _Emma says I've got to learn to say no,"_ Sam said lightly. _"But it'll get better. I've found myself a partner to the flight school. I'm not going to bore you with any details. I figure you'd want to have a word with Emma. I thought I heard her walk through the door. Give Cooper's Crossing my best and, say hello to everyone for me."_

"I will, I promise," the young mechanic said.

There was a rustle at the other end and then Emma's soft voice boomed over the line _. "Hello, Nick,"_ she said.

He steeled himself for what he was going to say. He felt like he was letting her down but he saw no other way. "Hi, Emma," he greeted. "Maybe I should be blunt. I've considered your offer and I'm grateful for it but I can't accept it."

Silence settled over the line for a moment before Nick spoke up again.

"I'm honored for being asked to take on such a responsibility, Emma, but it's not what I want. I realize that now. I'm a simple guy and I don't think I can cope with that kind of responsibility. Even though I like Cooper's Crossing there seem to be nothing for me here."

" _I don't blame you, Nick. I said you should decide and accept only if you wanted too,"_ she reasoned.

"Although I'll gladly stay and work for you till the year's end," he added.

" _Then it's a deal then,"_ Emma said cheerfully. " _And, Nick? I understand and respect your decision."_

"Thanks," he mumbled as he ended the call, feeling like a stone had dropped from his shoulder.

OOOOOO

Two days later it seemed half the town was gathered at the Cooper's Crossing Airfield. However, nor the recuperating man, who was to leave, or the people who was to see him off seemed happy with the decision.

"Well," Gerry offered regrettably. "That's my plane."

"Honey, I really wish you'd stayed," Nancy said despondently as she leaned forward to give him a hug. "The least you could have done was to agree on a farewell party."

He stiffened but said nothing.

"Oh, I didn't hurt you did I?" she asked worriedly.

Gerry chuckled lightly. "I'm not made of glass Nancy," he returned.

Kate quickly moved forward to give him a soft hug, mindful of his not fully healed injures. "Come and visit sometime," she encouraged.

"Yeah, don't you ever forget us, mate," Tom said as he reached out to shake the pilot's hand.

Gerry snorted. "I don't think that's possible. Certainly not you and that awful barn," he said dryly.

David shook his head in amusement. "Take care, Gerry," he said.

"Bye Gerry," Annie added to the happy chorus.

"Best of luck, mate," Geoff said sincerely as he moved forward to shake his departing colleague's hand. By the way, I just received a call from head office. They're sending us a new pilot within a few days. It seems he's got splendid credentials. Do you know of someone named John Johnson?"

Gerry frowned. "Never heard of him, mate. But if he's got good credentials and fits well into the team you should make sure that he stays."

"I'm certainly going to try," Geoff reasoned.

Gerry gently wiped his eye. "I got something-"

"Sure!" Vic hollered from a distance while the others laughed happily.

Gerry glanced at the small and familiar crowd around him at the airfield. "I've really enjoyed my stay here but everything has its time and place," he reasoned and then softly added. "I'll never forget any of you."

Geoff walked up behind his wife and gently put his arms around her shoulders as the pilot waved goodbye and turned to board the plane to Broken Hill.

"There goes another good pilot," she mused.

Geoff nodded thoughtfully. "Let's hope the next one's half as good," he said and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

They watched in silence as the small aircraft took off against the yellow painted horizon and stared after it until it became a dot and simply vanished.

The melancholy among the staff of the flying doctor base broke suddenly as the radio sparkled to life.

" _Victor Charlie Charlie to Mobile One, come in please,"_ Clare said.

David reached into the car to grab the microphone. "This is Mobile One receiving Clare," he said.

" _David, I'm afraid there has been an accident,"_ she said regretfully. _"Down the old mine next to McCubbins place."_

Geoff glanced around the staff mischievously. "Well, what are you all standing here for?" he teased. "Time to get back to work."

"When did you say the new pilot was due?" David asked innocently as he cast a glance at the Nomad.

Geoff made a face. "Get into the car," he ordered.

OOOOOO

The end

 _/That was my take on how Gerry left as I felt it was left out on the show. Thank you so much for reading (and reviewing) I hope you liked it! I've got a few other drafts of The Flying Doctor stories which I hope you'd like as well. I don't know when I'm ready to post though ;)_


End file.
